The Malfunctioning Portal of Parallel Adventure
by Invader Skrabb
Summary: COMPLETE! When Finn the Human goes through PB's malfunctioning teleporter, he ends up in the parallel universe; the Land of Aaa! He runs into Marshall Lee, but can the two people somehow get onto friendly terms and help FIn get back home? Read to find out! Hints at Marshall X Finn, and rated T for scariness and darkness. REVIEW PLEASE. I NEED IT TO CONTINUE.
1. Entry Wounds

**The Malfunctioning Portal of Parallel Adventure**

"Heya PB!" cried Finn through the window of the tower, "How ya doin'?"

He stood on Jake's shoulders, and the Princess smiled at him and shook her head, "Hey Finn, hey Jake. Come inside before you fall!"  
Jake and Finn climbed through the window, the sun shining into the laboratory. Princess Bubblegum wore her usual lab coat, and her flowing pink head was tied up in a bun. Finn's heart pounded and Jake winked at him knowingly.

"Watcha got there, Princess?" asked Jake, pointing to the line of test tubes in front of her.

PB looked at them and gave Jake a smile, "Oh, nothing, I'm just making sure that these are all in order. What I'm really working on is that portal over there,"

Jake and Finn looked over and saw a circular length of metal and wire, about five feet tall, sitting alone in the corner. It was connected to a glowing orb which floated about half a foot above the floor. It didn't look special, but Finn knew that PB was full of surprises.

"Oooh," The two chorused.

"What's that thing?" asked Jake, going over to take a closer look.

"That's a work in progress," she said proudly, raising her beautiful head, "I'm working on a teleporter. It's still in its early stages but it works! I just need to figure out a way to set up another portal somewhere else. That's the only thing, I need two to make it work the way I want it to. Right now it only sends you to places I've never seen before."

"Have you gone through it yet?" asked Finn hopefully. He was fascinated by the thought of teleportation! Imagine all of the things he could do with it! All the new adventures he could have!

"No, not yet. It's too dangerous. I can see where it sends you in this monitor," she gestured to a holographic screen above the portal, "it sends you to a different place every time. Who knows where you could end up!"

Jake and Finn grinned at each other.

"I'll be right back," said PB, placing the test tubes on a rack and carrying them in her arms, "Don't touch anything, you two,"

"Of course not!" said Finn.

"No worries," said Jake.

PB nodded and left the room. Jake and Finn looked at each other.

"Open the portal!" cried Finn merrily.

"You read my mind buddy!" Jake grinned, and he switched on the portal.

It hummed lowly, and then a blue translucent, water-like light filled the portal's inner circumference. It looked like a vertical puddle.

"Ooh," said Finn, "You wanna go in?"

Jake looked wearily at the portal, "I dunno, man. I'll go in after you,"

Finn laughed, and unsheathed his sword, "Let's go!"

If only the human had known what kind of trouble this would get him into. He would never had gone through if he knew. Never in a million years. And if he didn't go through this portal, i wouldn't have a story to tell. But he did, and I do, and it's about time I told it.

The human jumped through the portal, and just as his dog plucked up the courage to follow, it sparked and spat and singed poor Jake's ear. He jumped back, slamming into the table just as the portal combusted. Jake opened his eyes, and saw the portal's shell was busted up, and the vertical puddle was gone.

"Finn?" he called feebly, "Finn? You there?"

The portal continued to spark, "FINN!"

PB rushed into the room upon hearing the scream, "Jake? What happened?!"

Jake pointed to the portal in horror, "F- finn!"

PB put her hands to her head, "Oh, glob. Look at the monitor, Jake. He's not even on this planet anymore!"  
"W- what!?"

"He's in another universe!"

"Is he ok?!" demanded Jake.

"I... I don't know."

**Review for some Marshall Lee!**


	2. Things that go Bump in the Night

Finn felt as if he was being dragged through a drain pipe. A narrow, twisted drain pipe that shook and rattled and warped in a completely random way, until finally he came to an abrupt halt. He smashed face first into some hard ground, his mouth filling his dirt until he slid to a stop ten feet away. The journey through the portal had drained his energy to nearly the minimum, and he lay on the forest floor for nearly three whole minutes before he had the strength to lift his head.

He was in a dark forest. Two full moons hung over head, just beyond the reach of the gangly trees. The forest floor was covered in wet autumn leaves, and as he pushed himself to his knees his hands sunk into the wet soil.

"Ugh," he muttered as he got to his feet. He brushed the mud off his hands, and, completely unaware that he was in another universe, went to reach for his sword. He hand came down on an empty sheathe.

"What?" he muttered, and gasped in horror when he saw the sword was gone, "No! My sword!"

He looked around him and saw no glinting gold.

"Oh my glob, oh my glob, oh my glob!" he wailed, swerving and panicking.

How the lump was he supposed to fight monsters with no weapon?! He had no idea where he was, there could be anything hiding in the trees. But he took a deep breath to calm himself down. No need to panic just yet. He was probably near some kind of village. He just needed to look around.

So, despite his shaking knees, he began to walk. He was in a very tiny clearing at the moment, so he just chose a random direction and began to walk, feeling positively bare without his sword. He advanced into the tree line, and the forest seemed to stretch on forever. He became aware of just how quiet the forest had become, or how quiet it had been since he got here. There were no birds singing, no crickets chirping. Only the sound of a low wind swooshing along and rustling what was left of the leaves upon the nearly bare trees.

One leaf hit his face and he jumped, swatting the freezing thing off his face in anger. The stars hung mockingly over his head, and somewhere a wolf howled.

Finn glanced in the direction it had come from, and picked up his pace to a jog. His breath turned to mist in the cold air, and his arms were covered in goose bumps. On he jogged for a long time, and then another howl came to the other side of him, this time it sounded much closer. An owl hooted above his head, and he broke into a run.

He ran for about five minutes before getting tired. The air was freezing his lungs from the inside out, every time he breath it felt as if little icicles pricked the insides of him. He looked to be in the exact same place as he was, although he knew he couldn't have been going in circles. He'd travelled through hundreds of forests with Jake before; he had an impeccable sense of direction. He just wasn't getting anywhere. If anything, the trees seemed to suffocate him more. The two moons glared down at him.

He leaned against a tree and caught his breath. Little did he know, above his head crouched a predator of the night. The lithe thing carefully stuck a green hand forward, followed by a foot, descending carefully down the tree towards the unsuspecting human. Long, one inch fangs slowly unsheathed from pink gums, and his mouth parted, and his black hair tinted blue in the moonlight hung over his glisteningly hungry eyes as he got ready to leap.

Finn just happened to look up at the right time. He screamed and jumped backwards. The vampire snarled ferociously and sprung from the tree, soaring through the air towards the human, arms forward and fangs poised for the bite.

Finn fell on his back and kicked upwards with his powerful legs, sending the vampire spiralling into a tree. Finn got up and faced him, reaching for a sword that wasn't there. The vampire raised his handsome head, roaring like a lion, and jumped at the human again. Finn couldn't avoid being hit this time, and got a face full of red plaid shirt as they both fell awkwardly in the mud.

The vampire got to his knees and raised a hand. Finn's arms were pinned under the vampire's knees, but he managed to move his head away from the strike. The creature changed tactic, deciding it was better to go straight for the bite before his prey squirmed away. Finn whipped his head out of the way and the snarling beast missed by a hair's breadth.

Discouraged, the handsome vampire raised his head and simply roared into Finn's face, showing off his long teeth and his forked tongue. Finn head butted him, and his head reeled back with a painful shriek that sounded somewhat human. Finn shoved him off and bolted away. Turning his back was a bad idea.

The vampire reached out and grabbed his ankle and Finn fell face first on the ground. The vampire fought to keep Finn's legs from kicking as he straddled him, managing to get on top of his back and hold his flailing arms down beneath his knees. His legs kicked uselessly in the air. Now Finn was pinned, unable to move, at complete mercy of this beast.

"No!" Finn screamed in terror, "Get off me, you freak!"

The vampire hissed as he caught his breath, "You're a fighter," he said, licking his green lips suggestively, "I like that. It makes the chase more fun."

"I'll kill you if you don't get off me!" roared Finn, though his voice cracked and the vampire laughed.

"You know," he said casually, getting a better hold on Finn with freezing hands, "Most of my prey doesn't fight me. Usually they see me and run and scream, but I always catch them. Sometimes they don't even see me. I move quieter than darkness in the sky. One minute they're, oh, I dunno, huddled around a campfire with their family, and then they feel my teeth on their neck and then _snap_!"

Finn tried desperately to turn his head and see the face of his attacker, "You, you monster!"

"Hey!" the vampire cried, pretending to look offended, "Vampires have to eat too,"

"Get off! Get off of m-!"

The vampire struck Finn on the back of the head and Finn stopped his struggling. Marshall Lee sighed in relief, and got off of Finn's back.

Marshall sat down beside the unconscious teenager and wiped his forehead of sweat. To be completely honest, the vampire wasn't all that hungry. A bit peckish, sure, but not enough to hunt. He just happened to be walking through the forest when he caught Finn's scent.

He began to follow it because he smelt a lot like Fiona. He'd planned to sneak up and scare her, but when he found that it was a boy he was completely flabbergasted. He looked so much like Fiona, and smelt so much like her, that he couldn't leave him alone. So he'd climbed a tree and attacked him, to see if he would react the same way that Fiona would. He did.

He scared the boy because he felt like it. He just wasn't expecting such a strong resistance. He was far too... interesting to leave alone.

Marshall turned over Finn's body and got a good look at his face. His handsome face was covered in mud, and the vampires wiped some away and lifted an eyelid. Same colour as Fiona's. Maybe he was her twin brother? No, he would know if she had a brother. And they wouldn't be wearing practically the same thing.

He lifted away his hat to reveal a head of golden locks, shining in the moonlight. Marshall bit his lip questioningly. He leant over and snuffed at his neck and hair with his sensitive nose. He thought for a second and licked Finn's bare neck. He became a lot hungrier all of a sudden but resisted the urge to bite. He licked his own lips and stared hard at the human.

Marshall was struggling with a niggling hunger and his own curiosity. He could easily drink his blood now but... No, this was no time to listen to that part of himself. He had to find out more about this boy; he could be a duplicate of Fiona, made by some evil witch somewhere. And with that thought, Marshall got to his feet and picked the unconscious human up in his arms, carrying his hat in his teeth as he leapt into the air, soaring upwards and towards his castle

**~X~**

Marshall landed inside the window of his castle, and with the human still in his arms and hat still in his teeth he set out to find a bedroom for him to sleep off the pain in. He walked down the dimly lit hallways until coming along to his own bedroom, not that he ever used it. He had a coffin that worked just fine.

He removed the red covers from the double bed an laid the human carefully down in it, spitting the hat out on the duvet. He moved the sleeping human on his back, and covered him over again. he paused to stare at his face, and found himself smiling. He looked very peaceful. So much like Fiona. He ran his knuckle over the human's cheek, and then turned and walked towards the door, not before grabbing an old acoustic guitar, and closed the door behind him, leaving the lights on when his little human woke up.

As he walked down the hall he strung the guitar over his back and pondered the taste of human blood.

**~X~**

**And there;s chapter 2, uploaded in the same night as chapter 1! A bit creepier, and this shows off my writing skill very nicely! This also gives you a look into the level of darkness i'm introducing to Adventure Time. Review if you please and chapter 3 will be up soon. I wonder if Marshall can resist such an easy kill... ;)**


	3. Give us a Smile

Finn's eyes opened before he knew he was awake. As his consciousness slowly caught up to the back of his head, his blue eyes flickered and focussed in. He realised that his head rested on a very soft red pillow, and the duvet covered his body, light but warm. He was curled in the foetal position. He wondered for a moment if everything had been one horrible dream. But when he raised his head the light struck his eyes, and he blinked harshly. He was in a red king sized bed, and when he sat up he could see some bases and guitars and the like lining the room. He rubbed his eyes.

It occurred to him that all the horrible things, the portal, the vampire attack, all of that happened. He rubbed his neck, trying to find some kind of entry wound. Thankfully there was nothing and he could breath again, but he wasn't completely reassured. He suddenly felt very alert, and he got as quietly as he could from the bed, his ears poised for any foot steps or voices. None reached his ears. He looked around for something to use as a club, and found one of those stands for acoustic guitars empty beside the door. He grabbed it, and then realised that he wasn't wearing his hat anymore. He found it on the bed, and when he adorned it, snuck out of the room as quietly as he could.

He gripped the cold metal tightly, tip toeing down the dimly lit halls. He had no idea if he'd been bitten or not. He didn't know if he could turn into a vampire. All he knew was that he didn't want to be. His knees were shaking at the very prospect. He bit his lip hard, and suddenly a noise greeted his ears. It was the sound of someone tuning a guitar. Finn gripped the metal tighter, and peered into the room where the sound was coming from.

There sat that vampire, his back to the open door. He sat before an open fire on a sofa, the back of which ended just under his shoulders. His green fingers gripped one silver peg on the acoustic guitar's head, making slight turns and plucking the string it connected to. Finn crept into the room, and raised the metal bar above his head and getting ready to strike.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," the vampire said, not looking up from his guitar, "All you'll do is annoy me, and you wouldn't want to see me agitated,"

Finn still swung the thing at his head, but the vampire grabbed it, yanked it from his grasp and threw it away with the ease of waving away a fly, "Are you going to stand there like a child, or are you going to sit down and talk to me,"

"I'm not sitting down," Finn growled, "Look at me when I'm talking to you,"

The vampire snorted and turned his head to look up at Finn. Those eyes...

"Ok, I'm looking. Now talk," he challenged.

"Uhm, who are you? Where am I? Did you bite me? How;d I get in that bed?"

The vampire waved his hand lazily, "Whoa whoa whoa, that's way too many questions. How am I supposed to remember them all when you say them all at once? No, why don't we play a little game? Hm? Why don't you ask one question, then I ask another? One at a time? How's that sound?"

Finn bristled angrily, wishing he had his sword, "Whatever,"

There was a minute of silence as the vampire plucked the string, and Finn moved around to stand beside the fire, "Oh, sorry," said the vampire, giving him a gracious smile, "You go first."

"What's your name?" Finn asked.

"Marshall Lee, the Vampire King," Marshall replied casually, and when he finally found the right note, began to play a little rhythm on his pretty guitar. It was a nice, soothing tune, and it brought a smile to the Vampire King's face.

"King?" Finn said in shock, "You're king?"

"Hey, it's my turn," Marshall scolded, and then looked deep into Finn's eyes, "Who are you?"

"Finn, from the Land of Ooo," Finn replied proudly.

Marshall looked him over for a moment. Finn had heard of such a thing as Vampire Speak, where one can fall under the charm of a vampire and reveal everything he wants to know. It is very similar to Dragon Speak, but not as effective. Still, Finn had a bit of trouble not spilling his heart out to the good looking man.

"Ooo?" Marshall repeated, "I've never heard of Ooo."

"My turn," Finn said, and he tried to keep his voice from cracking, "Did you bite me?"

"Oh!" Marshall said, his eyebrows shooting up as he put his guitar aside, "Oh, I thought about it. I thought about it a lot. You have such a nice neck, you know? It's like it's made of out silk, it's so soft. I tasted you, if you must know; not your blood, but your skin. And, well, I hope to taste your blood soon," he gave him a luscious wink and Finn's cheek's flushed red.

"Shut up!" he barked, and Marshall's expression dropped into one of fury.

Before he knew what was going on Finn was up against the wall, pinned by Marshall's impossibly strong hands. They were so cold Finn could feel them through his shirt. He wouldn't give the vampire the pleasure of hearing him scream. He clamped his mouth shut and Marshall growled in his throat, like a wolf.

"You listen to me, human," he whispered, and Finn tried not to break the stare, "I don't like you. I don't like you at all. You know the only reason I didn't kill you? Because you look way too similar to my friend Fiona. She's human, like you. You don't know her, do you?"

Finn didn't trust his voice, so shook his head.

"You're lying to me," Marshall accused, and those fangs unsheathed hungrily.

"I'm not lying." Finn growled, "I never lie. One of my flaws, I suppose."

"My turn," Marshall smiled, his grip loosening but not releasing on Finn's shoulders, "How did you end up in the Land of Aaa?"

"The Land of Aaa?" Finn repeated in awe. Marshall licked his lips and Finn said quickly, "I, it's, it's complicated. In, where I came from, my friend PB is a scientist, and she was working on this teleportation thing," He was falling under the spell of Vampire Speak and he couldn't stop himself, "I wanted to impress her, so I went through it without permission and the next thing I know I'm face down in the mud, without my sword."

"Teleporter, you say?"

"Yeah, she said it landed you in different places each time. But I figured she meant on the, the place where I'm from. Because, where I'm from there's a female vampire who looks a lot like you. Marceline. It can't be a coincidence. I think... I think I'm in a parallel universe,"

Finn could feel himself begin to shake. He was getting scared now, not just at the vampire mere inches from his face, but the fact that he was so far from Ooo. From PB. From _Jake_.

Marshall studied the human's appealing features. He was fascinated by this story, but he didn't let it show on his face. He could smell the human's fear, and felt a pang of pity. The two were inches from each other, and Marshall glanced at the human's neck. Again, he knew how easy it would be to drink his blood. But he smiled warmly and stood away from the human.

Finn stared at Marshall, "It's my turn now. What am I going to do?"

Marshall stared long and hard at the human boy, "I will help you,"

"You will?"

"Yes. But you must give me your word. You will not try to kill me, even when I'm hungry, or threaten you. It's in my nature to do such things and I will not be held responsible if you feel uncomfortable around me. Ok?"

Finn looked at the fire, then the guitar, then back up at Marshall, "Yeah, ok. And you have to promise not to bite me,"

Marshall raised an eyebrow, "I'm sorry to say this Finn, but I fear biting is in my nature too. It actually doesn't hurt, and I'll try my best not to, ok? It's just, when a vampire gets thirsty, it's hard for him or her not to bite. It's nothing personal."

"So, you're saying that if I travel with you, I'll get bit whether I like it or not?" Finn clarified.

"Yes, I suppose you could put it that way,"

"Then no thank you," Finn said, and bowed as he pass the vampire King and went towards the door, "I don't want to run that risk,"  
"Then you'll never go home, or see your precious PB ever again. And I'll eat you anyway," he added.

Finn turned and stared at Marshall, who was staring back completely poker faced.

"If you walk through that door," said Marshall, "you're no longer anything to me; you'll just be a human that came too close. But if you stay with me, you can live, and you may just be able to get back to Ooo."

Finn bit his lip, "So, this is what you do, huh? You threaten people and force them to do what you want? I bet you kill people all the time. I bet you enjoy it,"

"Actually," Marshall said, "I do. I enjoy being _scary_. But I hardly ever kill. It's easy to kill people Finn, but it's hard to let people go. And I do, all the time. You could never appreciate how hard that is."

"Then why do you do it?"

"Because I'm trying to regain track of my moral code. That's a difficult thing to hang on to when you're one thousand years old."

"This girl, Fiona," Finn said, "why is she friends with you?"

"Me and her have something special. It's complicated. And really, the sun is too close for me to be bothered explaining."

Finn nodded, and looked at the doorway, and back at Marshall, "Ok, you have a deal."

Marshall's demeanour then changed abruptly. He gave a huge grin and clapped his hands once, "Excellent! Ok, Finn the human, you need a scientist. Luckily, I know one. His name is Professor Cane, and he tells me that he was working on a teleporter which sounds a lot like the one your friend PB was building. He may be able to help you,"

"What if he can't?" Finn murmured, and suddenly Marshall had his arm around his shoulders.

"Chin up, Finn. I'm sure he can. And if he can't, well, I'm sure you can start a nice life in Aaa. Maybe meet a lady friend, eh?"

Finn gave a humourless laugh, and Marshall touched his chin and tilted his head towards him.

"It's all gonna be fine, Finn. Come on, give us a smile,"

The corner of Finn's lips turned upwards slightly, "That's it!" Marshall praised, getting his finger and pulling at the smile more, "That's what I like to see! A nice big _smile_!"


	4. Can't you fix it any Faster?

"PB, can't you do this any faster?" demanded Jake, "How long is it gonna take?"

Bubblegum glared over her shoulder at the dog as she and a few other workers repaired the portal. It was about three quarters finished now. She'd been slaving at it ever since Finn left.

"Jake, this is delicate work. Either you give me a hand or go back home. I'll have it repaired by tonight. Then you can go through and get Finn back."

Jake handled the golden sword and bit his lip. When the portal broke, the sword had been flung back out. He figured Finn must have let it go while he was in there. This was all he had left of his friend, and he was desperate to get him back. What if he was attacked without his sword? Or kidnapped by trolls? Or bitten by a vampire?

As Jake imagined all of these equally nasty scenarios, Bubblegum said, "Look Jake, maybe you should get some sleep," her voice was sympathetic, "here's a bedroom down the hall."

Jake sighed and nodded, "Yeah, ok, just wake me up when it's fixed, ok?"

Bubblegum smiled and nodded.

**Terribly short, I know, but hey, at least it's a chapter. Review please. Wouldn't you like to know how Finn and Marshall will get along? If you have any suggestions or what you would like to see please leave them in your reviews! Thank you!**


	5. The Maddeningly Unhelpful Barmaid

"Uh... no, thank you," Finn said, and continued his walk to the front door of the castle.

The large double doors opened and Finn was met with a blast of cold air. He shivered and huddled in on himself.

"Why not?" asked Marshall as he followed the human down the stone steps, adjusting the strap on his now finely tuned acoustic guitar over his back, "Are you scared of heights?"

Finn eyed the gargoyle statues at the bottom of the steps, as if he were afraid their ruby eyes would turn to him, "No," he said pointedly, and shuffled his backpack on his shoulders uncomfortably, "I'm just used to walking everywhere,"

Marshall felt a smile creeping on his face, "In that case, this'll be a breath of fresh air!"

Marshall leapt off the steps and Grabbed the human by the shoulders, carrying him into the sky as he screamed in protest, kicking his legs out desperately.

"MARSHALL!" he screeched, his voice cracking, "PUT ME DOWN!"

"What's that?" asked Marshall as they ascended even higher, the black trees below them seeming to stretch on forever, "Hang on?"

"PUT ME DOWN!"  
"Ok, I'll hang on."

Finn finally opened his eyes and stared down at the forest below. He squealed and shut his eyes tightly again. The wind was making tears stream down his face. He squirmed in the vampires grip and was reminded of Marceline.

A thought occurred to him. Maybe Marshall was the same, personality-wise, as her. Maybe he could figure out what to expect from him. He raised his head up at the vampire above him, and looked quickly away when he saw Marshall was already staring.

There was something different about him though, something inside him that Marceline didn't have. Maybe it was his thirst for blood, or maybe it was something else. He had yet to put his finger on it. Maybe he could figure it out a little faster if Marshall ever landed!

"Big smiles, Finn!" Marshall sang.

The forests were whipping away now, thinning out until they cross over a mountain. At the base was the Candy Kingdom. Finn groaned.

Marshall slowed down, adjusted the guitar again, and then turned down and bulleted towards the ground. Finn screamed like he never screamed before. The town lights burned his eyes and then the ground was coming closer and closer at a terrifying speed. Candy people were looking up at him.

Suddenly they jerk to a stop. Finn opened his eyes, and looked down to see that he was floating a couple of inches above the ground. Marshall dropped him and Finn stumbled, and as the vampire floated down beside him Finn hissed, "What the lump, Marshall?! You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

Marshall winked at him and said, "Come with me. The pub's just up there,"

Marshall ignored the candy people who were giving him very suspicious and sometimes hateful looks. Finn overheard some whispers, picking up only a couple of words. Something told him he didn't want to know what was being said and instead kept close to Marshall. He didn't trust anyone here, and Marshall, well, he was the only help he had.

"Um, what's the pub called?" asked Finn, wanting a distraction from the people around him.

"You know, I've quite forgotten it's name. All I know is that the Professor comes here every Thursday night, at eleven o'clock,"

"Seems a bit late to drink,"

"He's a breakfast person too, which is ironic when you put it that way," Marshall added thoughtfully, "Here we are,"

The pub was called _The Crooked Cane, _and Finn could hear the sounds of folk music and the smell of loads of different drinks. The sounds of laughter and joy brought a smile to Finn's face. He was reminded of Ooo, and the parties and celebrations that were thrown in the Candy Kingdom all the time, to keep the spirits of the candy people up. As this rush of warm memories flooded his head, the seemingly bleak land of Aaa of which Finn had just been introduced seemed a bit like home.

The happy moment was rather spoiled by Marshall's entry.

The music stopped playing. The laughter died down. Drinks were frozen half way to the person's mouth. Marshall's eyes shifted around the room, and then he raised his head high and walked up to the bar. The two candy people sitting there moved desperately aside, and the one's drink on the right spilt a little over Marshall's hand. Finn bit his lip when the vampire gave the candy person a deathly glare, his eyes turning black and hollow, two fine pinpoints of red staring into the person's eyes. The cinnamon bun gave a dramatic gasp and fainted with a clatter and smash of glass.

Marshall turned his attention to the bar maid and sat on the now vacant stool, and treated the young woman to a smile as his eyes returned to their normal dark brown, "Hey there, doll face,"

The candy person rolled her pink eyes and grabbed a towel from under the bar, wiping the spill away from the polished wood, not minding when the towel touched the vampire, "What do _you_ want, vampire king?"

"I'm looking for someone," Marshall replied coolly, and Finn decided to help the candy person on the floor.

The room was still staring at Marshall, and Finn felt a pang of pity for him. Only a small one though.

The barmaid leered, "Looking for your boyfriend Gumball?"

A chorus of laughter drifted through the room and Marshall's stare turned into a rock hard glower, "He is not my boyfriend, don't insult me. I'm looking for Professor Cane,"

"Hmm... Yellow hair?"

"Yes,"  
"Brown duffel coat?"

"Indeed,"

"Stupid shirt?"

"Probably,"

"Scuffed boots, rainbow socks, black belt, green eyes?"

"That's him,"

"Haven't seen him,"

"You're being maddeningly unhelpful, Rosaline,"

The pink girl named Rosaline glared right back at Marshall, and Finn helped the fallen cinnamon bun to his feet. **[Author's note: in case you're wondering, this is not PB's cinnamon bun, 'kay? There has to be more than one cinnamon bun, c'mon, think. ;).]**

"He's over there," Rosaline said disdainfully, "in the booth, by the window,"

Marshall glanced over his shoulder at said booth, then at everyone else, "What are you all staring at?" he demanded fiercely.

People immediately went back to their drinks and conversations and the Cantina Band started up again. **[Yes, Star Wars reference. Look it up if you want to know what the song sounds like **** ]**

Marshall looked satisfied and smiled back at the barmaid, "Thanks, doll face,"

Marshall stood from the stool and noticed Finn helping the cinnamon bun. The cinnamon bun looked up at Marshall with beady eyes, and the vampire made a snarling face, the demon eyes showing again, and went back to fainting.

"For glob's sake, Marshall!" hissed Finn as the liveliness of the bar continued around them, no longer taking any notice, "You're just being cruel!"

"Are you coming to talk to Cane or what?" Marshall answered, and turned on his heel and headed to the booth.

Finn was torn between helping the candy person and following Marshall, but he couldn't afford to miss any information. So he left the poor person there and rushed to the vampire side.

Finn could now see the Breakfast Person sitting at the booth, a pint of alcohol half drained in front of him. Cane looked pretty upset with himself, and took a regrettably long swig before noticing the two.

"Marshall Lee?" his voice was slurred as Marshall and Finn sat on the seat opposite the Breakfast Person, "That you? What're you doing here?"

"Cane, it's good to see you. You're looking well." Charmed Marshall, and Finn found himself rolling his eyes, "This is my, um, friend Finn,"

"Looks a lot like Fiona," Cane observed, "Whattsah matter Marsh, female Fiona not good enough for ya anymore?"

Finn blushed furiously, "It's not like that I have no choice but to stick with this guy,"

"See, he needs to use your transporter. He's from another universe. He really needs to get back," Marshall gave Cane a pleading look, "Pretty please?"

"Fer gods sake Marsh!" Cane growled angrily, taking another swig of alcohol, "D'ya think if I could teleport I'd be in this lumpin' place?!"

"What are you talking about? I saw you working on it,"

"Well, I ain't werkin' on no lumpin' teleporter no more. It's been stolen."

"Stolen?!" exclaimed Finn in horror, "Did you see who took it!?

"Yeah, I seen 'im," growled Cane through gritted teeth, "If I had two pennys I'da ripped 'is head off! 'E was too quick. You can't trust a rainicorn, you can't lumpin—"

"Rainicorn?" interrupted Marshall, "Would that be Lord Monichromicorn?"

"Aye, that's him. Give 'Im a good kick around for me,"

Marshall and Finn stood up from the table, "We will," they chorused.

"Thank you Cane," Marshall said sincerely, "Good luck wallowing in your grief,"

Cane raised the pint glass, "Here here," and then passed out with a thunk.

**~X~X~X~**

Marshall seemed to know the land of Aaa like the back of his hand. They had two hours until sunlight, and they were already at Lord Monichromicorn's house. Finn didn't know that Rainicorn's had houses, he just kind of thought that they floated around all day.

"How are we going to do this?" whispered Finn.

Marshall looked at him strangely, "What do you mean?"

"I mean, do we sneak in? Break in? Announce we're here?"

Marshall walked up to the door, "How about this?"

He karate kicked the door and it flung off it's hinges. There was a frantic whinnying form inside and Marshall and Finn ran in.

"Monichromicorn!" roared Marshall, "Where's the portal?! Finn, look around."

The black Rainicorn whinnied desperately at the end of the room, stomping his hooves on the floor as Finn looked in all the places one might expect to find a trans dimensional teleporter. He found nothing and went back to Marshall.

"There's nothing here, Marshall!" Finn panicked.

Marshall crossed his green arms, looking into the eyes of Lord M, "There shouldn't be. He said he stole it for someone else. He was forced to, apparently."  
"And you believed him?"

"Yes, I can read his mind. He says he stole it for Prince Gumball."

Finn remembered the barmaid mentioning a Gumball, "Who's Prince Gumball?"

Lord M stomped his hooves and Marshall snapped, "He's not my lumping boyfriend!"

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" asked Finn.

"No reason. He's my _best_ friend, not my _boy_ friend. Glob. Anyway, he'd never steal anything. Not only is he too goody-goody, he's simply too preoccupied with baking to do something like that. We're losing moon light Finn, we should go,"

Lord M furiously whinnied and stomped his hooves. Marshall looked embarrassed.

"Yes, I'll pay to fix your door. Sorry,"

As they left the furious rainicorn in the distance Finn asked, "How long will it take us to get to the palace?"

Marshall whipped the acoustic guitar around to the front of him and said, "About three hours from here. The sun will be up soon."

Finn nodded, "That's problematic,"

"It is." Marshall conceded, "Well, we should find somewhere to sleep in the shade until night time again. I'm sure there's a cave nearby,"

**~X~X~X~**

As it turns out, they did find a cave. Deep down in the depths of the earth, Finn could see nothing. But Marshall could, using his bat-like echolocation to navigate the way. Marshall found a nice spot and lay down with his back against the wall, but when Finn tried the rocks hurt his neck and body. He said nothing though, afraid that he may seem weak in front of the vampire. He remembered horribly that Marshall could read minds.

"Do you want to lean against me?" asked Marshall casually, sounding very tired.

Finn blushed again, "Uh, no, thanks,"

"I won't tell anyone."

Finn really hated the rocks... well, what was the harm?

He found his way to beside Marshal and rested his head on his chest which moved up and down calmly as he breathed. The last thing he remembered was feeling Marshall's strong arm move over his shoulders and his head rest on his as exhaustion took over and he was lost to a dreamless sleep.

* * *

**This is where things start to get Finn X Marshall-like :D Enjoy! And thank you all for reviewing and giving me great confidence to write more! It's all I've been thinking about! Bye for now, until next time! Review please! Xoxoxooxx**


	6. A Quite Literal Backstabbing

"Jake! Jake wake up!" Jake felt a rough shaking on his shoulder and was jammed right out of his pleasant dream.

"Princess, are you ok?" Jake leapt from the bed, brandishing Finn's sword fiercely, "I have no idea how to use this and that makes me all the more danger—"

"Jake, calm down," PB chuckled, and Jake looked up at her, "I've fixed the portal! You can get through,"

**~X~X~X~**

"Ok Jake," PB strapped a blue bag to Jake's back and buckled it at the front of his little orange chest, "You need to make it a good clean jump, and put Finn's sword in this bag; you don't want to lose it like he did."

Jake did so, "Got it!"

The princess nodded, and then ordered the magic dog to hold out his wrist. She secured a metal strap onto it, and it had a little holographic screen.

"This will lead you to Finn. If you still have his sword, this device can pinpoint the owner. But be careful, because it won't be able to tell if there's any danger nearby,"

Jake nodded determinedly, "Got it! Anything else, Princess?"

"Yes," PB said, and gave Jake a kiss on the cheek, "Good luck Jake. Bring him back safely."

Jake smiled at her, "I will Princess,"

PB looked away, stood up an switched on the portal. The vertical puddle shimmered there again, and Jake took a deep breath, glancing up at the holograph to make sure he knew where he was going.

He took a deep breath and he _leaped_.

**~X~X~X~**

The sun was up many, many hours after Jake went through the portal, but Finn didn't wake up. Partially because his brain thought it was still night time, and partially because, well, he didn't really want to. Marshall was strangely comfortable, and Finn was far too exhausted to move an inch anyway. Why waste such a nice moment?

As Finn slept on, so did Marshall. His cheek was resting on Finn's head, his arms wrapped around the human in an unconscious protection. His fangs were down, released from their sheaths in exhaustion. You can imagine how Jake interpreted this when he entered the cave and saw the two lying there against the wall.

Jake carefully put one paw after another, wary of any rocks or stones that he could knock over and wake the vampire up with. He stuck out a hand and in the darkness even though he couldn't exactly see what he was touching. His fingers came into contact with cold skin and the dog quickly retracted his hand, biting back a whimper as he heard a sleepy grunt and shuffle of clothing.

He sucked in his gut. No. His friend was in danger. He was in the arms of a vampire. He couldn't let his petty fears get in the way of saving his best friend!

Changing tactic now, Jake whispered, "Finn. Fiiiiiiiinn. Wake up."

Finn did nothing, and Jake gave him one rough shake and jumped behind a rock in case the vampire woke up. Finn's eyes fluttered open, and Jake stuck his head out from behind the rock.

"Jake?" Finn murmured groggily, and Jake shushed him, glancing at a still sleeping Marshall.

"I'm gonna get you outta here man," Jake whispered, "PB sent me; she said there must be another portal in this reality—"

"I know," whispered Finn, his head raising and lowering with Marshall's every breath, "Me and him are looking for it. He wants to help me out,"  
Jake's eyes widened in shock, "Finn, you can't trust this guy. It's obvious he's the parallel of Marceline, but dude, he's the _parallel_. Think about that. He's the complete opposite."

"He's not."

"He is. Finn, you have to believe me, this guy won't help you. Come with me instead, we can find the second portal,"

"I can't."

"Why not?" Jake hissed, and they both froze as Marshall's light snoring stopped for a second, and then went back to normal.

"He said..." Finn paused as he remembered what Marshall had threatened.

He'd threatened to kill him if he left. Maybe Jake was right; maybe Marshall had been acting this whole time. Maybe he was toying with him, "He said he'd kill me."

Finn bit his lip, and made his decision.

"You know what? You're right, Jake. Give me a minute,"

Finn shifted his weight, and got his hands on the cave floor. He slowly moved his body away from Marshall's arms, but in his state of sleep, Marshall grabbed Finn tightly and brought him back to his chest.

"Slamicow..." growled Finn under his breath.

Finn moved again, and just as he pulled free, Marshall's arms dropped to the floor and those eyes popped open.

Jake ducked behind the rock.

Marshall groaned and sat up, and noticing that the human was no longer in his arms, he looked around, and Finn flinched when his eyes passed over the rock and kept moving.

"Oh, Finn, there you are," Marshall turned his back on the rock, "Are you ok?"

"Y- yeah. I, I'm just a bit, um..."

Marshall read his facial expression, and his eyes slit suspiciously, "What's going o—"

Then there was the sound of blade meeting flesh, and Finn's golden sword was suddenly poking out of Marshall lee's rib cage, coming so close to the human's face that he jumped back in order to avoid it, but couldn't evade a splash of warm liquid.

"JAKE!" Finn screamed in terror, "WHAT THE FLOP DID YOU DO?!"

Marshall's eyes were wide and his breathing was raspy and insubstantial. He looked over his shoulder and saw Jake there, backing away.

"I just saved your life Finn," Jake answered, "He said he'd kill you if you ran away, so I killed him first,"

Marshall gasped, stared up at Finn and murmured, "Traitor..."

"It, it wasn't me!"

Marshall reached a long arm around his back, grabbed the hilt of the sword and tugged. The sword came free and Marshall fell to the ground, gasping and bleeding profusely.

He glowered up at Finn with eyes so demonic the human's heart skipped many beats, "You bought... yourself... fifteen... minutes. You better run... traitor!"

Finn bolted, picking up the bloodied sword just as Marshall fell to the floor.

The human and dog ran like bats out of the Nightosphere, and as soon as the cave was cleared, Jake supersized as Finn jumped on his back. They ran for ages, and when the cave was lost to the distance, Jake stopped running and fell to the grassy ground in exhaustion, shrinking back to normal size.

Finn stood up, grabbed Jake by the shoulders and screamed, "WHAT THE FLOP WERE YOU THNKING!? HE'S GOING TO KILL ME!"

Jake shook his head, "No way man. You've got me. And you've got you sword!"

Finn was shaking and furious. He had no idea how Marshall would find him, but he knew it was only a matter of time. He wiped the sword on the grass while fuming, "You've done it this time Jake!"

"Be cool, man!" Jake cried, "There's no way that vampi—oh lump!"  
"He's right behind me, isn't he?" Finn growled.

Marshall swung Finn around with one hand, grabbed him by the shirt, brought him close to his face and screamed, "ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR GLOB DAMNED MIND?!"

Jake pushed his way between them with an unusual burst of courage, and shoved Marshall away, "Back up man! No body's gonna hurt my best friend!"

Marshall snarled, and his face turned into that of a gargoyle's, and he slammed himself into Jake, roaring furiously, "It was you who stabbed me! You stupid mutt!"

Jake snarled right back, "Bring it on, pretty boy!"

Marshall pounced at the stupid dog, but Finn jumped in his way, and they both crashed to the ground.

"Marshall, wait!" Finn grabbed the vampire's arm just before he stood to get Jake, and they stood up together, Marshall's face going back to normal, "Wait, Marshall, he didn't mean it."

Marshall's eyes rolled up to the grey clouds and back down again, "Oh, I think he meant to stab me Finn. I don't think you can just trip and shove a sword straight through someone's chest plate,"

"How'd you survive, anyhow," Jake demanded.

"I'm a vampire, you little moron. I heal quickly. That's why I don't die!"

Jake crossed his arms, "I guess I'll just have to try harder then."

"You're not helping!" snapped Finn.

"I'm not lying!" retorted Jake.

"Who are you?" asked Marshall, glowering down at the dog.

"He's my dog Jake," Finn said, "He's my friend."

"He ruined my favourite shirt." Marshall gestured to it, to the blood stains and the big hole.

"Look, I'm sorry. Please, don't hurt him, ok? He's just scared of vampires,"

"That's obvious,"

"Don't talk about me like I'm not here!" Jake barked, "Look Finn, are we going to get this portal or what?"

"I suppose he got through your portal as well," Marshall said with a nod, "I suppose he's coming with us."  
"Yes," Jake and Finn chorused.

Marshall gave Jake a long look, "I've got my eye on you, dog. I'm not forgiving you that easily,"

"Are we all ok now?" asked Finn, looking at both of them.

"Whatever," they both said.

Finn sighed in relief, "Good. Now, Marshall. How far to Gumball's castle?"

Marshall looked around, "We're about an hour out of our way. It should take us four hours to walk their now. Unless you want to fly, then we'll be an hour. Which one?"

"I'm not flying with him!" barked Jake, crossing his arms.

"Jake-!"

"No. I'm not doing it." Jake said finally.

Marshall said casually, "We could take the dragons,"

Finn felt a rush of childhood joy, "Yes!"

"Are they safe?" asked Jake.

"Oh, yeah, completely." Marshall said.

"Where are they?" asked Finn.

Marshall put two fingers in his mouth and whistled. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, somewhere in the distance, there was a long howl, somehow lizard-ish. Then, there was the sound of great beating winds. Finn and Jake looked over the horizon, and they saw two shapes. The dragon's flew ever closer, and their scales glinted in the light, even though the clouds obscured the sun.

One dragon was green with four bats wings, a snubbed snout, and an angry look in its eye. The other was bright red and a wyvern (that is, a dragon with no front legs, and walks with its wings) with a long whipping tail and a long snout; it was crooked, which suggested it had broken it's jaw and it had healed badly.

They drew ever closer and Finn took out his sword automatically. He'd never slain a dragon before, but you could never be too careful.

Finn felt a cold hand on his wrist, "Finn, it's ok," said Marshall.

The dragon's landed gracefully in front of the adventurers. Upon seeing Marshall, they bowed their large heads crowned with impressive horns, and knelt down.

Marshall smiled at the two as if he was showing them to an old car, "You ready to go?"

"Um, which one...?" Jake said, trying to keep any sense of being impressed from his mouth.

The one with the snubbed snout raised it's head. The dragon's stood fifteen feet tall when they stood to their full height, and Marshall smiled up at them proudly. He rubbed the dragon's snubbed nose and said, "I'll take Binky,"

They stared at him, "What?" they chorused.

Marshall looked back at them poker faced, "This one's name is Binky. That one's Muffin,"

Muffin and Binky stuck their forked tongues out at them momentarily, and Finn laughed, "That's hilarious! I'm not scared of them anymore!"

Marshall climbed Binky's back, sitting between his two pairs of bat's wings, "Tat's the point," he grinned, "who's gonna be scared of a dragon named muffin? Then, _BAM_! Burnt to ashes!"

Finn could tell he was joking but obviously Jake didn't think it was very funny. Marshall grabbed the dragon's tentacles, which acted like two long whiskers protruding from behind it's nostrils, and held them in his hands like reins.

The crooked jawed dragon named Muffin gave Finn a steely glare, but relaxed as soon as the sword was back in its scabbard.

"Don't mind Muffin's glare," said Marshall reassuringly, "just hop on his back, it's alright,"

Finn and Jake tried to walk around the dragon, but it's head followed them and he hissed faintly. Finn made a little leap on faith and hopped onto the dragon's back. Jake followed and Muffin turned his head away, one of the tentacles hitting Finn in the face.

Jake and Marshall laughed and Finn took the things in his hands and looked over at the vampire, "What now?"

"This," Marshall gave the dragon a sharp kick to the sides, barked, "Yah!" and the great she-dragon's wings opened, leaving the world with a bound and soaring into the skies.

Muffin looked up, but didn't follow.

"Dude, do what he just did!" said Jake, taking hold of Finn for dear life.

"Uhm... Yah!" the sharp kick was delivered, and suddenly the world jerked and the ground was ten feet behind them.

Finn and Jake screamed, eyes shutting as the blood drained to the backs of them as the might dragon named Muffin gained altitude, racing towards the clouds.

Suddenly, Muffin levelled out, and everything went by slowly, just like the beat of his great wings. Finn managed to open his eyes just a smidge, and saw Binky beside him, and Marshall giving him a smile.

Marshall waved.

Finn waved back.

Jake rolled his eyes and turned his had the other way. This was going to be a long flight.

**~X~X~X~**

**Hey people! i just want you to know, that I have LOADS of views to this story and I'm so happy that you're all enjoying it as much as you say! I'd love it if more of review, because it makes me write so much faster and better! Please just take a few seconds and review below! THANK YOU! I love you all!**


	7. Plucking at Heart Strings

Marshall hovered right outside Prince Gumball's tower window, upside down, Binky lost to the sky. The acoustic guitar hung upside down.

"Hey, Gumball! Gumball!"

Finn and Jake were still on Muffin's back, bobbing up and down with the beat of his great wings as they waited right behind Marshall. A pink head poked out of the window.

"Is that the guy version of PB?" asked Jake in a whisper, and Finn nodded.

"Marshall!" Gumball cried, "I don't believe it, it's been so long! Please, do come in! Oh, is that Muffin over there? Hey, Muffin!"

The crooked jawed dragon gave a kind of bark, and Finn waved at Gumball as Marshall leapt through the window.

"Oh hello, Fiona!" said Gumball, "Why don't you..."

Muffin manoeuvred close to the window and Finn and Jake jumped through. They looked up at the Candy Prince, who was staring at them in astonishment. The candy person tried to form words, but they stuck in his throat. Eventually, Gumball looked over Finn's shoulder at Marshall.

"Who are they?" he asked quietly.

Finn and Jake bowed, "We're Finn and Jake, from the Land of Ooo,"

"I see," Gumball said.

"They came through from a parallel universe," supplied Marshall, "the female version of you created a portal and they both made it through."

"That'd do it, all right,"

"We've been informed that you," Marshall approached the Prince in a charming fashion, but his voice had a serious undertone, "may have... access, to this world's version of said transportation device. Do you?"

Gumball took a step back when Marshall got a bit too close, looking down. He looked across at Finn and Jake and said as brightly as he could manage, "Please, boys, help yourself to those cupcakes over there! They're fresh,"

Finn and Jake rushed over to the cupcakes gratefully, and Cupcake turned from Marshall and started walking over to another bench, trying to change the subject.

"You must be hungry too Marshall," the candy prince said, "Sorry, I don't have anything red for you,"

"I'm not hungry," Marshall said sternly, "stop avoiding my question. Do you have the transporter or don't you?"

The candy prince avoided Marshall's eyes, and began to look quite upset.

"Marshall," he said quietly, "do you honestly have to use Vampire Speak? Can't you just... trust my word? Please?"

Marshall almost ashamedly stopped using the power, and the Candy Prince kept his head down, avoiding Marshall's eye. Secretly, Gumball feared that if he looked into Marshall's eyes he'd do nothing but spill everything. He couldn't do that, he couldn't. Not for his sake, but for Marshall's.

"Gumball," Marshal said gently, deciding to change tactic, "you can tell me if you have the portal or not. I won't be mad. I just want to help Finn and Jake."

"Why, though?" asked Gumball as he glanced at the two eating muffins, "This isn't really your thing, helping people you don't know."

Marshall bit his lip, then shrugged, "I like them, I guess,"

"That's not your thing, either,"

"I like you, don't I?"

"Why wouldn't you? I'm perfect,"  
"Glad to see your new take on thievery and lies hasn't humbled your pride in the slightest,"

"Thank you. I mean—"

Marshall pointed a green finger and cried, "_Aha_! You _did_ steal the transporter!"

Gumball put his hands up and backed away, avoiding the stares of Finn and Jake, "N- no! I didn't! I swear!"

"Stop lying to me!" roared Marshall, backing Gumball towards the window, "Gumball, you're my best friend. Just tell me where you hid it, ok? I don't want to hypnotise you to do it,"

Gumball bumped against the window pane, then fell to his knees in shame. Marshall stood in front of him and Gumball took his hand, tears streaming down his face. Marshall seemed shocked by the sudden change in his friend's demeanour.

"I, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Marshall. I, I had to. She made me. She made me, or I, or she said she'd kill my friends! She'd kill you!"

Marshall knelt down in front of him, staring him straight in the eyes, "Gumball," he said gently, "who said these things?"

Gumball bit his lip and hung his head "I, I can't—"

"It was the Ice Queen, wasn't it?"

Finn and Jake gasped and looked at each other, "Ice _Queen_?!"

Gumball nodded miserably, and Marshall drew him into a tight hug, "It's ok, Gumball."

Finn's heart sped up in a miserable way. For the first time, Marshall seemed... almost like a real person. Someone with _feelings_. He thought back to last night, the way he'd let his head rest on his chest. Was that him simply being polite, or maybe something more?

Whoa. That was a weird thought. He pushed it out of his head before it became too... graphic.

Marshall gave Finn a knowing glance and Finn looked away, blushing furiously.

"Gumball," Marshall soothed, "We're going to find the Ice Queen. She's been harassing you long enough. We'll find her, and kill her. Ok? She won't bother you anymore."

Gumball got shakily to his feet, wiped his eyes and looked up at Marshall, "You'd do that for me?"

"Of course," reassured Marshall, he looked at Finn and Jake, "Right?"

"Right!" they said unanimously, and Finn said, "No one'll hurt a Prince as long as we're around!"

"Thank you boys," Gumball smiled, and he looked like he truly meant it, "Would you like to stay overnight?"

Marshall smiled and shook his head, "Thanks, Gumball, but we really should be on our way,"

Finn said, "Yeah, we need to find the transporter, and the Ice _Queen_ right away,"

"How are you going to get there?" asked the candy Prince, "You couldn't take your dragons, they'd freeze to death! Please, take my polar bears,"

"Oh really, Gumball, you don't have to," said Marshall anxiously.

"I insist. You need them more than me, anyway, by the looks of things," Gumball laughed at his own little joke.

**~X~X~X~**

After a pleasant farewell to Gumball, the trek to the snow lands was long. The polar bears stood about seven feet tall at the shoulder, and their bodies were wide, so they stretched the poor traveller's legs rather uncomfortably. Every so often the bears grunted, and in the beginning it caused Finn some worry, but soon it became just background noise.

Finn, Marshall and Jake all rode on different bears, either gripping it by the fur or the reigns. They sat on the brown leather saddles, their equipment stacked tightly behind them. As the sun began to set, the trees began to split up, and the air began to get very cold indeed. The dirt road began to get more rough under the polar bears' paws'; it was as if there was a graph of which declared the progression of less and less maintenance, until finally, the road ended right where the snow began.

It didn't just fade away, it stopped abruptly, as if the person who made it just said "screw this!".

The snowy mountain's stretched away into the sky, and the polar bears began to grunt and roar excitedly. Finn sucked in his gut, whipped the reigns, and the trio made their way into the ice desert.

**~X~X~X~**

As the sun disappeared, Marshall suggested finding somewhere to sleep. A cave lay convieniently at the foot of the mountains, and there they made a fire and cooked some of the food Gumball had kindly given them. The air was quiet for a long time, before Jake decided to go to sleep.

"Are you hungry, Marshall?" asked Finn warily.

Marshall glanced at him over his knees which were tucked against his chest, said "Yes," bluntly, and turned his head to stare out of the cave mouth again.

Finn sat at the opposite side of the fire to the vampire, and wondered if he should try to find something red. But there was nothing the proper shade of red in the packs, and there was more silence.

"Hey, Marshall," Finn said slowly, unsure if he should ask this question or not, but decided he had to, "uh, did your father kick you out of the Nightosphere?"

"What?" Marshall stared at Finn in shock, "How'd you know that?"

"You were muttering something about it in your sleep. Sorry, I shouldn't have asked," Finn hung his head guiltily.

"No, it's ok," said Marshall, and stood up, making his way to the end of the cave mouth.

He stood there for a while, and Finn stood against the wall, about eight feet behind him.

Marshall sighed and began his story, "A long time ago, I was the heir to the Vampire Throne. My father, the King, and my mother, the Queen. One day, my mother died in a terrible... accident. She died in battle," he sliced his hand across his neck to indicate a decapitation, and Finn flinched, "and since that day, over seven hundred years ago, my father and I have been at each other's throats. Tensions rose so high, the people of the Nightosphere began to panic. The insisted that I be dealt with, because I was causing their beloved King so much grief." He snorted in contempt, and paused for a while. Finn began to regret asking, but this form of Vampire Speak wanted him to continue listening. I doubt Marshall even knew he was using it.

"So... you weren't always... an outcast?" Finn clarified quietly.

Marshall gave the ghost of a smile, and shook his head gently once, "No. ...I was a Prince.

So, a few years later, my father and I got into a fight. Not just a verbal fight, but a physical battle that lasted over three days. Eventually, he threw my body into the rocks, my crown flying off into a lake, lost to the depths forever. The pain was so terrible that I don't think I'll ever be able to feel that way again.

But, he loomed over me, hands and mouth covered in my blood and his own, and he said, "You are no longer my son. You are no longer heir to the vampire throne. You are hereby banished to the land of Aaa, where you shall spend the rest of your miserable existence regretting the day you were brought into this world". Then he raised his bloody hand and cursed me forever."

He stopped talking, and Finn said, "Um, what kind of curse?"

Marshall looked at Finn over his shoulder, his hair blowing in the wind, "Every day, Finn, every day, the spell my father cast on me strengthens. As I get older, I remember less and less of who I was, who I... used to love. Of who I am inside. I'm losing track of my moral code, of my sense of humanity. And I know, one of these days, I'll wake up one morning... and not have the faintest idea who I am."

**~X~X~X~**

**Heavy. Very heavy indeed. Poor poor Marshall.**


	8. Cracks in the Floor

**I'm sorry for leaving this update so long! I've been working on a new animated mini series for youtube, and I haven't had the time! If you're interested in auditioning for it, look up "The Strange Case of Bulbeck and Croe" on youtube. I need voices :P Now, on with the story!**

* * *

The polar bears were huddled inside the cave with the three travellers, and Finn and Marshall had stayed up to talk for a long time. Jake was snuggling soundly into his polar bear's fur, muttering about his girlfriend.

The darkness of the human and vampire's conversation was all but lost to hearty laughter and the comforting light of the flickering fire in front of them.

"So, Finn, you got a girlfriend?" Marshall asked casually, scratching his head.

Finn hesitated, looked at Marshall who was sitting right beside him and shrugged, "No, not really,"

"How do you "not really" have a girlfriend? Is she imaginary?" the vampire teased.

Finn laughed and shook his head, "No, no, it's not that. It's, well, I don't really know what it is. I had a thing with Flame Princess... in the end, we kind of decided to break up..."

"Rough, man," Marshall sympathised, although something in him was rather pleased, "Why's that?"

"Well... I couldn't kiss her without burning a hole straight through the planet's crust,"

"That's hot," Marshall said.

They shared a look. Then they burst into laughter that lasted until their sides hurt.

Finally, Marshall wiped the tears from his eyes and sat up. A question was burning in his mind, and he felt he should ask it quickly before Jake woke up.

"Hey, Finn," he said to the boy who was clutching his gut as he recovered from the laughing fit, "ever had a boyfriend?"

Finn looked at him strangely, "A boyfriend?"

Marshall shrugged, "Yeah,"

Finn thought for a long moment, seemingly unaware of what Marshall was trying to imply, "Well, no, I've never had a boyfriend before. Girlfriends, yeah, but..."

"Would you... object to having a boyfriend? Just because he's a guy?"

In the Land of Ooo, there's no word for gay. People simply go out with people they like, no matter what gender. Nice, right? But Finn had never had a boyfriend, simply because he'd never felt that way about a guy before. But these questions were puzzling Finn; no one had ever asked it before.

"Well, no, I wouldn't object," Finn said slowly, and something glinted in Marshall's eye that made Finn's stomach flip, "Why?"

"Well, I was wondering, if maybe, you—" Marshall never finished that sentence.

The ground beneath them suddenly rumbled like quiet thunder. The rocks and loose pebbles on the walls and floor began to shake free and clack on the ground, like the sound of a thousand scuttling spiders. Marshall's eyes widened in horror.

"Oh, shit," he murmered.

Finn grabbed his sword and the bears woke up and groaned and roared in unease. Jake was awake and starting to panic.

"Marshall! What's going on!?" Finn cried, his hands turning white with the tight grip on his beloved sword.

"Everybody, out of the cave!" screeched Marshall, getting to his feet, "Hurry!"

They all rushed to the exit, but alas, it was too far away. The ground shook apart, cracks forming and splitting apart beneath their feet. Marshal and Finn gripped on to each other as the floor gave way and they plummeted onto some kind of rocky face. They tumbled and the bears sailed downwards and over the edge, lost forever.

Finn cried out in horror as the edge gave way and his arms and legs churned in the air. He tumbled and plummeted towards the rocky floor. If it weren't for Marshall's ability to fly, Finn surely would have met a swift end. He felt the vampire's hand grip his arm and nearly yank it from it's socket as he stopped short his fall.

Marshall flinched when he heard Finn screaming with agony. Maybe he had yanked it from it's socket. In a panic he let his friend drop the last foot to the floor. Finn fell on his back and clutched his right arm, twisting and writhing on the floor in anguish.

Marshal knelt beside him, unsure what to do. For the first time since he met the human, Marshall felt his throat burning with the desire to bite him. When a vampire sees someone injured, their first instinct is to bite before they recover (as it is for most predators). But Marshal resisted and the urge, and focussed on trying to keep him from moving too much. Jake finally crashed to the floor, and he gasped when he saw Finn in Marshall's arms screaming in agony.

"Get away from him!" Jake snarled into Marshall's face, "This is all your fault!"

Marshall could only shake his head. He didn't want to speak, in fear his fangs were visible. Jake snatched Finn away from Marshall.

"You stupid blood sucker! I knew we couldn't trust you! You did this! YOU!"

Marshall snarled, his eyes turning black and red. And with that, the last of his resistance drained. All he saw before him now was a dog and a broken, easy target.

There was a noise beside them and Marshall swung around; he was hunched over in a hunting stance, his hands forming claws by his sides. The cave wall opened, and out poured what must have been fifty goblins. Marshall snarled and the first few were torn to pieces. But Finn couldn't fight with an arm like that, and Jake was too slow to react.

The goblins took them away in no time, kicking and screaming, to the dungeons.

* * *

**That has to be the biggest cock block in existence.**


	9. Eat your Heart Out

**WARNING: THIS CHAPTER IS EXTREMELY GRAPHIC. I. MEAN. EXTREMELY. BLOOD AND GORE WARNING. ONLY READ IF YOU THINK YOU CAN HANDLE IT.**

* * *

"From above the cavern, under the sky

Their blood shall be spilt, so loud shall they cry!

Under our fists shall they fall!

For mercy they will call!

Our armies conquer all

In Goblin Place!

Our axes will pierce them, spear shall be felt

Or into the fire where their flesh shall melt?

So many have we thought!

With horror they are wrought!

They'll be thrown in to the pot

In Goblin Place!

Look at them shiver, watch as they fawn,

Soon their flesh from their bones shall be drawn!

Their bones so soon shall crack!

On their flesh we snack!

Their minds will fade as black

As Goblin Place!"

This song reached the adventurers' ears and they found themselves shaking. Marshall was still in his blood lust state, and all this chant did was make him even angrier. The goblins were dragging them along the cobbled floors, and their skins were pierced with them. One of the goblins even snatched Marshall guitar off him, and this made the vampire so furious that he slashed its throat open and grabbed the neck with his teeth before all three were taken to the dungeons.

They had a cell each. Finn fell on his back and he screamed again; he heard the goblins laughing in their voices which echoed sharply off the cave walls. Finn had fought goblins before, but never without his sword. It made him think, who was he without his sword? He would've thought more on the matter if it weren't for the pain.

Marshall was thrown in to the cage on the left of Finn, and he shoved himself against the bars in his animal rage and he swung his claws as the Goblin's left the dungeon, singing their songs of horror.

"Finn!" Jake was yelling, "I can't get through the bars, it must be goblin magic. Are you ok?"

Finn looked over at him and nodded, "Y- yeah. I'm ok," he lied, "But they took my sword."

Jake bit his lip, "How are we gonna get out of here, man? I'm freaking out!"

Finn turned his head towards Marshall's cage, and froze when he saw those two demon eyes staring into him; those fangs hanging over his lips like crystals from a cave wall. There were bubbles forming in the corners of his grey mouth. The saliva dripped to the floor, and when he could hear it fall, Finn suddenly realised how quiet he and Jake were.

Marshall growled lowly in his throat, like a lion, or a wolf, and Finn didn't dare to move. He wished he had is sword. The vampire's head dipped, and he slowly put his hands on the bars. With a jerk he yanked them apart.

Finn cursed and zipped to the back of the cage with Jake.

"M- Marshall!" the vampire stopped and stared at the human, "Wait! Don't you remember me? It's me, Finn! You're helping me get to the Ice Queen!"

Marshall's eyes didn't comprehend, and the bars were slowly pried apart. He fit his head through but his shoulders wouldn't fit. He snarled over at Finn, looking at him like how a starving slave looks at a banquet. Finn felt like food and he didn't like it.

"Jake, what do I do?!" hissed Finn desperately.

"I dunno, man!" Jake gasped.

Marshall started biting the bars, and Finn would've found it funny if his teeth didn't sink right through the goblin metal and cast it aside to the other side of his cell. It fell with a metallic clatter, and his teeth gripped the next bar and began to yank it backwards.

"What's goin' on in here!?" roared a voice from the hallway.

A goblin appeared right at the edge of Marshall's cage. Marshall raised his head. Finn couldn't watch the rest.

Marshall reached for the goblin and grabbed it by the head. He tugged it through the bars as it screeched in protest. His claws dug into its skin, and as it finally let go of the bars it fell to the ground with a fleshy thump. Marshall was on his hands and knees and he snarled at the goblin, which he was head level with now. The goblin's exits were blocked off. It had nowhere to go, and it was terrified, by the look in his tiny eyes.

Marshall was going to enjoy this. He was going to make himself enjoy it. He approached the goblin, forcing it to back up in to a wall. The goblin was unarmed; it clearly didn't anticipate this. It slashed its claws in front of the vampires nose. This only resulted in exciting the beast. More foam dribbled from the corners on Marshall's mouth, and he let out a throaty bark. The goblin lost it's nerve, and it screamed. The vampire pounced and the goblin ducked just in time. The vampires face struck the wall and cracked the bricks and he roared in fury. Now he was done playing with his food; now he was just _pissed_.

The goblin rushed to the edge of the cage but Marshall caught it's leg in his hand and it fell to the ground. He dragged it backwards, towards himself, flipped it over and buried his head into the squealing things neck.

Tendons snapped and finally the spine cracked in two. The goblin was paralysed, but Marshall doubted it was dead as he ate the thing from the inside out. He was so starving he swallowed flesh and organs, tossing the chest plate over his shoulder with his teeth, leaving the still beating heart bare to the sky. He stared at it for a second, fascinated by the life the pounding, mango-sized organ represented, then he struck it open-mouthed with the force of a lightning strike and tore it free, tossing his head back and swallowing it with no difficulty in one go. He felt it throb and bleed against the walls of oesophagus as it travelled to his belly.

But he was still hungry, and a vampire's Hunger is not easily satisfied. If a vampire lets itself go without blood for a long time, it turns in to a savage beast, craving flesh, not just blood. This is called the Hunger, and has been known to scare children with its countless stories.

The goblin was definitely dead now, although it's time of death was uncertain. He'd watched the lungs stop moving, he was sure, but couldn't remember exactly how long ago. Marshall briefly wondered if it saw him swallow its heart before sinking his razor sharp teeth into the guts. He found nothing tasty there and moved his head to whatever remained of the skin. He tore strips of it away, never using his hands but only his mouth.

He then put a firm hand on its shoulder and tore the arm right from its socket, ligaments and joints popping as they detached. Like some feral dog he held it under his hands and tore the flesh from bone, relishing in the sensation of lukewarm blood splash in his face. He chewed and licked his delicious fare, no longer Marshall, but an untamed, wild monster.

"MARSHALL! THAT'S ENOUGH!"

Marshall snarled and looked over at whoever said that, the goblin's arm dangling from his jaws. He saw Finn crying, fully sobbing, at the corner of his cage. Something dull flickered like a candle in the back of Marshall's head.

_What is that thing... over there... I think. I've. Seen it... a human, that's it... and a... dog? Yes, a dog. Smells like a dog... smells bad ... The human, why's it crying? Is it hurt? Is it food? No... not food... something else... what's it's name? Name? I know it... I'm sure I've heard it..._

_**FINN!**_

"FINN!" Marshall dropped the arm and the bone clacked on the bricks under his hands and knees. He saw Finn crying there, because of him.

He suddenly felt horrible with himself. He desperately wiped the blood away from his face, but only managed to smear it around his face like some bloody painting. He crawled up to the bars.

"Finn, oh, my god. I'm, I'm sorry. Please, forgive me! i.. I swear... I didn't... i... never meant..."

Jake snarled at Marshall, and spat a word as if it were a curse. Maybe it was.

"MONSTER!" he spat.

Finn couldn't look at the vampire, and he didn't want to. He knew if he saw Marshall now, he'd lose it. He'd kill him.

"Finn..." Marshall felt tears leave his eyes and drop to the floor, "I... f- fuck, I _am_ a monster."

"You're lumping right," snarled Jake, "We'll get to the Ice Queen on our own. You can rot in here for the rest of your life! YOU ANIMAL!"

Then, Marshall curled in to a ball and cried for so long. He cried until his throat, caked in blood, began to strain with the agony of it all. He felt like an orange was stuck in his throat instead. He looked at the body of the goblin and had never been so repulsed with himself in his whole life.

After an hour and a half, his crying stopped, and he pushed himself to his hands and knees. He didn't look at Finn. He didn't want to. He shuffled over to the body of the goblin (which was so mutilated it was hardly recognisable as such) and raised and hand and searched the body for a badge or something that indicated its rank. With a feeling of dread he realised it was security captain by its necklace.

Something primal wanted to take more flesh from the dead goblin, but he couldn't in front of those two. He looked back at them. Jake was lying next to Finn, who looked like he was finally under control of his breathing. He wiped the tears from his blue eyes, but was still sitting with his knees against his chest at the end of the cage.

Marshall approached the edge of the cage, still not standing, in fear it might scare the human again.

He leaned against the bars, "I'm sorry you had to see that. Finn, I swear, I'll never do that again. I swear."

Finn didn't look at him, but said so quietly he wouldn't have heard the message were it not for his vampire ears, "You... that could have been me. You could have done that to me. You nearly did."

"I—"

"You _ate_ his _heart_. You ate it while it was _still beating_. What the flop is wrong with you, Marshall? The other you would never do that. Jake was right all along, I should never have trusted you. You probably intended to... do that to me too."

Marshall was shaking his head since the word "Jake". He pressed his face through the bars, "Finn. Please. I only ever wanted to help you,"

"Oh, please!" his voice cracked and was hoarse with the tears that had gone, "The first moment you met me, you tried to kill me. You tackled me and if I didn't look like Fiona I'd probably be dead right now. You said so yourself."

Marshall's face slid down the bars and now he was lying on his stomach, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

"Murderer!" Finn accused, "And I'm not just talking about the goblin. You've probably killed loads of people, haven't you? Innocent people!"

He picked up an empty food bowl and chucked it at Marshall, who flinched, "I HATE YOU!"

Marshall murmured, "I hate myself, too."

"... You know what, Marshall?" Finn said emotionlessly, "I bet that was the only beating heart you've had in your body for 1000 years.

Marshall nearly started to cry again, he'd never been told anything so hurtful, and yet, so true. Then he turned his back on the two, and curled in to a ball and shut his eyes. Sleep came to him surprisingly easily, as if his dreams were desperate to rid him of these worldly emotions and take him in to the comforting recesses of his brain.

* * *

Marshall's body was stiff from sleeping on the ground. He raised his head, eyes opening slowly. He got to his knees and stretched his arms above his head. He got to his feet and stretched his legs. He dusted himself off and his eyes rested on the dead goblin. He flinched and turned around to Finn's cage.

"Finn...?"

Finn wasn't in his cage. Marshall looked around, and noticed Jake wasn't in his cage either.

"Finn? Jake? Where are you!?"

The doors on their cells were open. Had they left with out him? Maybe they'd escaped and really left him here to die?

Then, from somewhere in the forsaken caves, a shrill terrified shriek of a boy reached Marshall's pointed ears.

"FINN!" Marshall cried.

He tried to force himself out of his cell, but it was no use. Then he remembered vaguely the hole he'd chewed through the bars that weren't doused in goblin magic. He knelt by the hole and yanked it opened further until he could squeeze through in to Finn's empty cell.

Then he rushed through the open door and followed the sound of Finn's screams.


	10. Out of the Frying Pan, into the Fire

**Ok, so, before I begin this story, I just want to say that my last chapter, Eat Your Heart Out, broke my record for most reviews on just one chapter. 14 reviews?! HOLY CRAP! So, you obviously enjoy the gore! *Evil Laugh***

**I had no idea this story would ever get so much publicity, and I promise that on the last chapter of this story (That won't come for a while, my friends!) I'll thank everyone who reviewed by name! GAWD I JUST WANNA HUG YOU ALL! OH C'MERE! *hugs really tightly* **

**Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand on with the adventure!**

Marshall soared above the heads of the goblins that tried to block his path to his friends. Finn and Jake were somewhere in the hellish place, and they were in trouble. He'd scared them half to death, but now he could redeem himself!

Redemption strangely was not the main thing on his mind. He had a burning sensation in his chest; as if his heart were about to burst. He could only see Finn's face in his head, contorting to fit the screams that reached his ears. He wanted to save him and then... he wasn't sure yet. But he knew it'd naturally move to that point, whatever it was.

The screams became higher and shrill. Marshall started to panic. He swung around a corner and was faced with a giant wooden door. He held out both fists and ducked his head, and ploughed straight through the door, smashing it to splinters like some kind of superhero.

Marshall was met by a large cavern. In the centre of the stone floor gaped a crack about fifty feet wide, and he could see flames licking the side of the stone, leaving scorch marks in its wake. Fractures lined the cavern walls, and in some places, little rocks and pebbles jerked free and clattered to the ground.

Scattered around the hall were a mixture of the regular goblins, a few fire goblins, and nearer to the crack were a few trolls. They gathered around some kind of weird wooden structure, looking up. Marshall looked up too and his eyes widened in horror. Finn and Jake were tied in a frayed rope, suspended over the trolls' heads, and they were kicking and screaming like crazy.

The goblin's and troll's had heard the wooden door break and now turned their attention to him.

"Look at 'im!" said one of the trolls, "'e's floatin'! 'Ow's 'e floatin' up there, Grumm?"

The fat troll apparently named Grumm looked up at Marshall who still floated in the doorway, "Gee, Glom, I can't tell. 'ey! Floaty guy! How're you doin' that!?"

Marshall glared at them, then looked up at Finn and Jake. They'd seen him and stopped screaming. Now, it appeared that they were trying to escape. Marshall realised that he could be an effective distraction. Finn squirmed out of the ropes and nearly slipped. Jake caught him before he fell on one of the goblin's heads.

"Uh... hey! Look at me!" Marshall cried, and started doing loops and twists in the air.

"Look at 'im go!"said another troll.

Marshall grinned to himself. Glob, trolls were so stupid!

Finn and Jake, now free of the ropes, climbed atop the wooden structure. Marshall could see clearly now the pot they were about to be lowered in to. Thinking on his feet, Marshall soared forward and grabbed them both under his arms. He cursed as they weighed him down, towards the furious monsters. Desperate, he struggled over to the crevice. He felt the heat from the fire burn his skin as he just barely made it to the other side. All three of them crashed in to the ground, and Marshall raised his head to see some of the trolls fall over the edge as they tried to get to them.

Jake sat up, groaning, and Finn sat up, rubbing the back of his blonde head. His hat had fallen by its straps around his slim neck. Marshall was on his knees, staring at Finn who was right in front of him. His clothes were ripped, exposing his chest and knees. Dirt and grime covered his handsome face. His blonde hair was ruffled with heat, and sweat dripped down his temples and jaw.

Finn's blue eyes opened, met Marshall's, two glistened pools of milk, dotted with water from the Caribbean sea. Marshall gripped him lightly by the shoulders. They stared in to each other's eyes for a second.

And then Marshall leant down and their lips touched lightly, before crushing passionately together.

Marshall hugged Finn closer to him, and Finn ran his fingers through the vampire's raven hair. Marshall's cheeks flushed, and his fingers dug in to Finn's back, as if he wanted to drag him closer and never let him go.

Finn pulled away and Marshall gasped, his eyes fluttering open. Finn bit his chapped lip.

"I'm sorry for what I said," he murmured, "I didn't mean it, I was just upset,"

"It's ok. And I'm sorry for scaring you," Marshall said sincerely, although one of his thoughts was to kiss Finn again.

"Oh, my glob," said Jake, staring at the two, "Finn... what? I thought you hated him."

Finn and Marshall got to their feet, followed by Jake, "No," Finn said, "I don't. I couldn't."

They smiled at each other, and it seemed all misgivings were forgotten in that one perfect moment.

"Where do we go now?" asked Marshall.

"There's a little passage over there," said Jake, giving him an mistrustful glance before pointing to a simple semi circle in the cavern wall, "I bet it's a secret passage to the Ice Queen's palace."

"I nearly forgot about her," Finn admitted, and laughed to himself, "I wish I had my sword, though."

"Maybe you won't be needing it," Marshall said hopefully, "Let's go."

**~X~X~X~**

The tunnel seemed to stretch on forever. The adventurers crawled through it on their hands and knees, the sharp stones causing them great discomfort. It was about ten minutes of non stop crawling that the tunnel suddenly opened up to a forked turn. Marshall cursed, the noticed a wooden sign nailed in between the turns.

"Marshall, why'd you stop?" asked Finn, "I can't see,"  
"We're at a fork turn," said Marshall, "And this sign says to choose one or the other."  
"What does it say exactly?" asked Jake form the back.

"It says "_Choose one or the other, but don't hold your breath, for one assures freedom, the other, certain death_." "

"Well, that's cheery," said Finn sarcastically.

"Which one do we go through?" asked Jake.

Marshall sniffed the entrances to both turns and said, "That one smells like ash. There could be fire down there. Yes, most likely fire. Let's _not_ go that way."

"Good idea," said Finn, "What's the other way?"

"I'm not sure. But it has to be better than fire. Let's go."

So they shuffled down that way, and could see a light at the end of it after a few minutes.

They quickened the pace, "Guys... I think that's gold!"said Marshall excitedly.

They fell through in to the chamber. They were met with glistening mountains of gold. It sparkled and hurt their eyes for a few seconds. Then, Finn and Jake dived at it like they'd never seen gold before. The walls were made from pure ice, and their breaths turned to mist in the still air.

"Look at all this loot!" cried Jake, "We're gonna be rich!"

"I know, man!" Finn squealed, and threw his bag off his back and started filling it with gold.

"Who dares lay hand upon my treasure?" boomed a deep voice from inside the mountain.

The treasure suddenly shifted and fell down to the adventurers' feet. With a roar that made the icicles of the ceiling shake, the Ice Dragon raised his mighty head, crowned in twisted horns which stretched to the sky. Jagged fangs peeked over his white scaled lips. His long muzzle was tipped with two long whiskers, and he moved so that most of his long lizard body was on top of the gold. He stared down at them all.

_Out of the frying pan, in to the fire,_ Marshall thought.

"Who trespasses in my domain?" growled the mighty dragon.

Marshall bowed very deeply, "Forgive us, O Hoarder of Gold. We had no intention of trespassing,"

"My name is Krallark!" roared the Ice Dragon proudly, "I am the Stealer of Goblin Gold! The Terror or the Skies! The Father of Fire!"

Finn and Jake stared at each other, and then back at the dragon. Finn puffed out his chest and levelled his gaze with Krallark. The dragon's eyes were orbs of blue infernos, straight from the Nightosphere. They bored into him like nails through rock. On each forepaw of the dragon boasted three large claws, and they sunk in to the treasure, shaking coins free and rolling down the bullion mountain.

"What are your names?" the dragon demanded.

Marshall bit his lip in resistance to the Dragon Speak, "Surely," the vampire said charmingly as he could manage, "You don't believe we would tell, O Upholder of Terror?"

The dragon glared at Marshall for a second, and then smiled, "I suppose not. It appears you aren't as foolish as I imagined. Everyone knows it is unwise to tell your name to a dragon. I applaud you, vampire."

"I am honoured, your Emminence," said Marshall.

Krallark stretched his great wings and said, "You wish to leave my lair. Fine. Answer my three riddles, and you are permitted to enter the Ice Queens castle."

"So, you're her guard!" Jake cried, and looked at Finn, "Lucky for us, Ice King doesn't have a dragon."

"We're ready for your riddles, Master of the Cold," said Marshall, eying a blue, semi acoustic guitar near his feet.

"You have three chances to answer my riddles," said Krallark.

"Wait, what happens if we lose?" asked Finn.

"I get to kill you!" Krallark said merrily, "Now, let's begin:

"_In the forests is my skin,_

_Under mountains is my core,_

_Those who write can use me,_

_But so do children._

_What am I?"_

"A pencil!" said Marshall immeadiatly.

Finn and Jake flinched when the dragon paused.

"Correct!" said Krallark, "Very good! Next:

"_I run but never walk;_

_have a mouth but never talk;_

_have a bed but never lie;_

_what am I?"_

This stumped the adventurers for a while. Then, the answer popped up in Finn's head, so obvious and startling it was like a slap in the face.

"A river!" Finn cried.

Krallark looked irritated, "Yes, that's correct."

Jake and Finn high fived and Marshall smiled. Maybe they could win! But that's when the Ice Dragon said:

"_I can be loud as crashing thunder_

_Or quiet as falling leaves._

_I can be as sharp as a knife_

_Or soft as a breeze._

_I am lost on the wind but carried on a breath._

_I can warm the heart with kindness_

_Or freeze your should with menace._

_I hold secrets of others_

_And knowledge of self._

_I hold the power to kill _

_and intention to help."_

Krallark grinned at them all, through back his head and cried, "Who am I!?"

**I'm sorry if this chapter seems poorly written. I'm a teenager; I have a short attention span and was regrettably short of tea. I did take some of these riddles from the internet... sorry. I made up the first one, which explains why it was so crappy. Review, please! Also! I want some of you to try and figure the last riddle out for yourself. No using the internet! If you guess the answer correct, I'll... I don't know. Send you a sock. With love! I'll be needing it back though, it's part of a set, you see... I'm acting like a creep. Sorry!**

**So! Finn and Marshall finally kissed! Huh! Wow! Imagine that! I've been holding it off for so long, I'm sure most of you have given up on it! **

**Would any of you guys like to see it again...? **

**xo**


	11. When Words Twist

Icicles glistened treacherously overhead. Finn's body was laced with goose bumps; as if every inch of him were shaking as the answer to the Ice Dragon's riddle continued to elude him. His breath was turning shaky. His eyes, blue and glinting like the ice beneath his feet, darted from Marshall to Jake, from Jake to Marshall, and from Marshall to Jake again, and still, his tongue remained dry, heavy and useless behind his teeth.

Jake's fur was standing on end, his paws clicking nervously on the ground. He stared in to his own reflection under his feet and bit his lip. His mind was going in to overdrive and no answer or feasible notion entered his brain. Suddenly, he wanted to be back in Ooo, fighting monsters and goblins and trolls in the traditional way. Or at the very least, snuggled under the covers of his bed as his mother's voice sung the lullaby in his head and crooned him in to his dreams as it used to in the good old days.

Krallark lay atop his gold, patiently awaiting the answer which he knew would never come. He spotted Marshall eying a blue, semi acoustic guitar at his feet. Dragon's have no real use for their hoard, as you may imagine. It puzzles even me why a dragon would fight another to the death over their gold. Marshall always found it... fascinating. He'd spent around fifty years of his life in Aaa researching dragons. He glared up at Krallark under his eyelashes, and raised his head.

"Is the answer fire?" the vampire said.

Jake and Finn snapped their heads to him, hope written on their faces. But the dragon blew out their spark of optimism with his gusty laugh.

"Incorrect!" the dragon boasted, "you have two more guesses, use them wisely."

Marshall cursed under his breath and ran a green hand through his hair. Minutes passed. At least it felt that way; it could have been ten seconds and felt like ten days to the adventurers.

Finally, desperate to contribute something to getting out of this icy hell, Finn said, "Uh, is it, is it wind?"

"Incorrect!" Krallark cried, "It seems you all aren't as intelligent as you thought you were! One more chance."

"Give us a hint!" Jake begged, truly beginning to panic, "Just one hint!"

"No." Krallark said, shaking his great horned head, "No hints. No tips. Guess for yourself."

Finn edged closer to Marshall, and their eyes met. Marshall smiled weakly and Finn wrapped his arms around his waist tightly. Marshall pulled Finn close to him and held him tightly, his chin resting atop his head. Marshall moved his hand up Finn's back, up the back of his neck, and finally to his hat. He took it off, allowing the golden hair to flow over his neck. He ran his fingers through his locks and said quietly, "I'm sorry I attacked you in the forest."

Finn shrugged weakly, "Nah, it's ok,"

"No, it isn't. If I hadn't abducted you all three of us wouldn't be here. I'm useless. I'm sorry."

"Shut up, you aren't useless!" Finn countered, and looked up in to his eyes, "If you left me in the forest, the wolves would have killed me. I was defenceless without my sword. I would have _died_ without you Marshall. Think about that."

Krallark's bat like ears flicked once impatiently, "Come on, then. What's the answer?"

And Jake, oh Jake, he used the only chance they had left.

"Is the answer love?" he said, and as soon as he said it he regretted it.

The dragon paused. The adventurers froze. The dragon grinned, baring all of his pearly white teeth, "Wrong. Answer."

It all happened very quickly after that. The dragon stood up, sending gold and treasure flying as he unfolded his mighty white wings and screeched so loudly the icicles above his shook treacherously. Marshall and Finn broke apart.

Finn and Jake took it from there, like to good old days. Finn rushed forward, brandishing his golden sword, and cut the dragon's toe. Krallark screeched furiously, and stamped his great paws. Finn ducked and dodged the blows, scoring a hit to under the dragon's paw.

Jake stretched his arms with a battle cry, and took the dragon by surprise. Krallark had never seen a magic dog before. This momentary hesitation bought Jake enough time to grip the dragon by the horns and tug, sending the dragon's head reeling, his arms flailing in the air. Finn laughed.

"We got 'I'm, Jake!" Finn cried, and rushed forward with his sword held high, ready to deliver the final blow.

But that's when Krallark regained his footing, and began to fight back. He swung his great head violently and Jake was shaken loose as easily as waving away a fly. With a scream he crashed in to the far wall. He fell, and didn't get up. Finn reeled in horror and Krallark turned to him, claws flexing as he made his got ready for the kill.

"Hey!"

Krallark turned his head upwards and to the left. Marshall hovered there, twenty feet away, holding the lovely blue guitar in his arms.

Then he started to play.

**I haven't updated in a long time. And I would write more but my curfew is preventing me from that O.o I'll update the rest of this tomorrow. I promise!**

**Also! Special thanks to DeluxeMagnum69 for giving me an idea for this chapter. :D :D :D Thanks for reviewing! SO MANY REVIWS! I'VE NEVER GOTTEN THIS MUCH!**

**I can't tell you all how much this means to me, because words simply fail to describe how grateful I am! I mean, at first, it was only a review every couple of days, then from god knows where it EXPLODES! I love you all, I mean it! Either if you've been reviewing the whole time, or just found this story for the first time, I LOVE YOU!**


	12. The Sleeping Dragon

"_I must be bold,  
Even though I've been so cold_

_To my friends recently. Now, I guarantee  
He sees something in me.  
How will it be?  
If he loves me  
Will I change at all?"_

Krallark had stopped moving. He simply stared up at Marshall, his eyes wide in awe. Finn scrambled to his feet, rushing to Jake's side, and taking no heed of Marshall's song.

"_My heart no longer beats_

_It stays still in my chest-_

_Permanently at rest._

_Useless, at best._

_It's beautiful and strange_

_How he'll make me change_

_Till it beats again._

_For once, I am happy, elated._

_A bird freed from a cage._

_You lead me out of the darkness_

_Away from my rage."_

Krallark shook his head, as if in a daze. His eyes, pools of blue fire, began to hood over. His stance began to relaxed, and his shoulders sagged. He murmered a few words, almost too quiet for Finn to hear. The human had looked up at the dragon, but his eyes rested on Marshall first, and he listened like someone under a spell. This song... it was for him?

"_These feelings are deep,_

_As if I've never seen a light._

_Tell me, is it right?  
Have I been awake?_

_Or have I been... asleep."_

Krallark let out a gusty, exhausted breath, and then lost his footing, and down upon the gold this mighty dragon crashed, sending golden treasure flying in to the air. Marshall shut his eyes and breathed in deeply, before floating down next to Finn and an unconscious, but unharmed, Jake. Finn stared at the vampire as if he'd never seen him before.

"Marshall," he said, eyes wide and uncomprehending, "That was beautiful."  
Marshall looked at him, and gave him a playful grin, "Really? I just made it up."

Finn laughed and shook his head, "I think Jake's ok. Where do we go next?"

Marshall looked around, "Well, I'm no hero like you, but maybe we should go through that clearly marked door which leads to the interior of the castle."

Finn nodded and gave another humourless laugh, the haunting song still stuck in his mind.

"Oh, wait. Marshall?"

"Yeah?"

"What'd Krallark say to you?"

Marshall looked puzzled, "When?"

"He said something to you, before he fell asleep. What was it?"

"Oh, he said I'd gotten the riddle right?"

Finn blinked.

Marshall smiled at him with his lovely green lips, "Can't you see, Finn? The answer to the riddle was "voice"."

**~X~X~X~**

It took Jake a while to wake up. Marshall had grown so impatient that he voted to leave the dog there and come back for him later. Finn had scorned the vampire for suggesting such a thing, but they were soon on their way.

As it turned out, there was a "clearly marked door which led to the interior". It was a large double door, far at the back of the sleeping dragon's lair. It stood blue and gorgeously decorated with pictures of ships, and birds, and mountains, somehow fitted all together in to one glorious masterpiece.

They didn't take long to open, thankfully, for Jake thought he heard the dragon starting to wake up again. Finn didn't know what to expect as the door swung slowly open. He gripped his sword tightly by his side; you never know what could happen. There could be anything there. Another troll, maybe? A hoarde of goblins? Monsters of unbeatable power?

As the door opened fully, the eyes of the adventurer's fell on something rather anticlimactic. A fat little penguin stood in the middle of the hall, looking rather bored. It was as if the Ice Queen hadn't expected anyone to get this far in the first place.

The penguin looked up at them, and they stared at the penguin, unsure what to say.

"_Wenk_," said the penguin.

"That was... not what I was expecting," said Finn.

"Same here," Jake agreed, "I thought there'd be another monster."

"_Wenk_," said the penguin again.

"Oh!" cried Finn, "Maybe that's this world's version of Gunter!"

The penguin ruffled his feathers, "_Wenk wenk_," he said, and then proceeded to fall on his face and go to sleep.

"Maybe we should move on," Marshall said, "Look, there's another door up there. The Ice Queen's probably in that room."

"How do we fight her, Marshall?" asked Jake, tugging on the vampire's plaid shirt for his attention, "You know her, right?"

Marshall looked baffled, "W- what? How'd you know that?"

Finn hadn't thought about this. Marceline had known Ice King, why not Marshall with Ice Queen?

"It doesn't matter," Finn cut in quickly, "Let's go."

"_Wenk! Wenk_!"

Finn looked back to see the penguin, still face first on the floor, with his flippers circling in the air rapidly. He decided just to leave him... I mean, he could get up by himself.

The doors ahead of them were not like the blue doors behind. These were bright red, in contrast to the ice walls surrounding them. Marshall walked up to it, looked up and down, and knocked on it three times. Nothing happened.

"I don't think she's gonna open the door." Said Jake impatiently, "Knock it down or something."

That's when the door swung open, "Helloooooo?"

The Ice Queen peeked her head out from the gap in the door. Marshall didn't hesitate. He punched her in the nose and she screeched in agony. Falling backwards, Marshall snarled and leaped through the closing door. Finn and Jake cried out, and tried to catch the door before it slammed shut. They were too late.

Marshall. The Ice Queen. Alone in a room together with Marshall in another rage.

She was going to _die_.


	13. There and Back Again

**Welcome to the final chapter :(**

**Before I begin, I feel that my last chapter failed to live up to all your expectations. My review count was only 3 on chapter 12, while the ones before were fifteen. I'm sorry about that, I felt pressured in to writing it... I hadn't updated in a while. Now the reason for that is school work, as you can imagine .. I just hope I write this chapter well enough for all of you and that the review count picks up again. I mean, I have 45 followers on this! I've never had that many and I can't tell you how honoured I am to receive as many reviews as I have. I just want more of you to review; I want to know everything I do right, wrong, or could improve on. Or even anything you hate about this story. Deal? I hope so. Read on :).**

* * *

The door slammed shut with a metallic clang behind the vampire. The Ice Queen fell with a thud, moaning in pain, her right cheek in her hand. The room was a duplicate of Ice King's castle back home, and a few little penguins waddled around the floors, unmindful of Marshall or the Ice Queen.

"What'd you do that for?" she demanded, "I didn't do anything! I just opened the bloody door!"

Marshall sighed heavily, and sheathed his fangs once more, "Look, Ice Queen, I don't have time for this. Where's the transporter?"

Ice Queen grumbled and got to her feet, "What transporter?"

Marshall crossed his arms as the Ice Queen started to float, her snowy hair opening in and out around her back, "Don't you give me those baby blue eyes," he growled.

"What?"

"I don't fall for that innocent routine! I know you have it, and who you got it from, and I want it back right now."

"But it isn't yours," Ice Queen said frostily, "Finders keepers,"

"It isn't yours either." Marshall countered, "I need it. You can't be a thief,"

"I'm not a _thief_!" Ice Queen cried, looking offended and a bit cross, "I need it too! I need it more than you do; what're you gonna do with it? Go back to the Nightosphere, where you belong?"

Marshall bristled. That was too far.

"I don't _belong_ there. If I _belonged_ there, I'd _be_ there, wouldn't I?"

She smirked, "It's not like you have a choice, do you?"

Marshall bit down his anger; he knew full well he wouldn't get any closer to the transporter by yelling at her. Then it came to his attention the sound of fists pounding on the door behind him. He grunted, glanced back up at the Ice Queen as he turned his back, and opened the door. Finn and Jake barged in as if they'd been trying to shove the door open. They fell on the ground ungracefully but immediately got to their feet.

It took a minute or two to caution them, and when they'd calmed down, Finn puffed out his chest and addressed the Ice Queen, "Ice Queen, I need that portal to get back to my own universe. If you just let us use it, we'll be out of your hair. I promise,"

Ice Queen put a curled finger to her blue chin and watched the boy for a minute. Her eyes were the colour of arctic glaciers, and her hair long and snowy white, flowing around her back as if it wee underwater. But age had withered her once pretty face. She had a few wrinkles around her chilling eyes, and somehow, age made her seem all the more deadly.

With a faint sigh, she descended back to the ground. She levelled her eyes calmly with Marshall, and the Finn, and then Jake. Her smile broke across her face like a crack in a frozen lake.

"Alright, then," she said, "the portal is this way. Shoo, Gunter! Follow me, you three."

The adventurer's exchanged suspicious glances, but they followed the Ice Queen non-the-less, muscles tense and ready for any surprise.

They were led in to what appeared to be the Ice Queen's bedroom. Her king sized bed was made of the finest blue silk, and the canopy hung gracefully around it, almost like a waterfall. A chandelier of icicles hung from the ceiling, sparkling prettily around the room.

Finn's heart skipped a beat when he saw the transporter near the window. It stood there, the metal gleaming in the light of the sun, the wires clumping around its base. It was exactly the same as the one he'd came through!

He was about to rush towards it but he felt a familiar cold hand grip his arm, and he almost fell backwards had it not been the same hand to keep him upright.

"Wait, Finn," the vampire cautioned, and looked up to were Ice Queen was floating, "Ice Queen. I have a question for you. I realised, that we've been fighting monsters, crossing snow deserts, and solving riddles of all kinds to get the portal back from you, yet I have no idea what you want it for. Why do you need it, Ice Queen? Huh?"

The Ice Queen's demeanour abruptly changed, and with a jolt it brought to Finn's mind how Marshall's calmness was thrown to the wind when they talked in his castle. Her serenity changed to rage and she squealed with her hands clasped to her ears, "Questions! Questions! Bah! You're a fool, you little leech! Be gone with you! Away!"

Marshall's glare hardened; Jake and Finn could begin to make it little pin points of red in his pupils, "I'm not a leech, you frosty blue—"

"I own this castle, Marshall! I own those goblins and those trolls! You think I wasn't the first they reported to when the goblin captain's heart was ripped out?"

Marshall froze.

"You hold yourself above me, _parasite_!" the woman screeched, zipping from the air and floating an inch away from Marshall's guilt-ridden face, "But you killed a ranking officer with your _bare hands_."

"He was a_ goblin_," Marshall reasoned, but Ice Queen continued unabashed.

"You ripped him up and ate his insides while he _was still alive_. You didn't drink his blood, you _ate_ his _flesh_! You're an abomination to your own filthy kind! No vampire eats flesh! What does that make you, you little tick? You can't call yourself a vampire. You're just a _monster_!"

Marshall roared, his body changing in to that of some kind of werewolf, gargoyle hybrid. He rushed at Ice Queen and grabbed her by the throat, raising her struggling body and finally throwing her against the wall, sending cracks splitting through it. He pounced on her as she tried to recover and snarled through his snubbed muzzle, "Why do you need the transporter?!"

Shards of ice flung from her hands, piercing the ceiling, floors and almost skewering the adventurers who watched the scene.

"What do we do, man?" Jake whimpered, "We, we can't fight Marshall. Should we let him kill the Ice Queen?"

Finn bit his lip. He looked from Marshall, to Ice Queen, and back to Jake, and then made up his mind.

"No, Jake. We can't let him do that."

Finn watched Marshall for a second more, and then ran over to him and, with a battle cry, jumped on his back and hooked his arm under his furry throat. Marshall reeled back, screaming in shock, his long arms slashing the air as he fell back, nearly crushing Finn under his weight as he did so.

Finn took the opportunity to climb on to Marshall's stomach and hold him down by the shoulders, for just long enough to shout, "Marshall, calm down! Don't hurt the Ice Queen!"

"She's a liar!" Marshall roared, but something in his expression, beneath the furry and scales, made him look upset and pitiful.

"Marshall, it's ok, we'll find a way—"

Finn stopped. Marshall stopped. Jake stopped. The room lay in a wretched, sudden stillness. No one blinked, no one breathed. But Finn's little gasped broke the silence, and, with a terrible slowness, he moved his head down, his eyes widening as he took in the sight of a long Icicle, dripping with blood and water, protruding from his chest.

Then his head drooped, his hat falling off, and his body sloped to the ground with a terrible thud.

"NO!" Marshall and Jake screeched in horror, rushing to Finn's side.

Jake grabbed Finn by the shoulders and shook him as the boy's eyes closed, "FINN! FINN! Oh, my god. Don't let this be it. DON'T LET THIS BE IT! FINN!"

Marshall gasped, and he began to hyperventilate and he grasped his head in his now normal hands, "This is my fault! Oh, god. Oh god oh god oh god!"

Ice Queen laughed and ascended in to the air, "Pitiful creatures!" she boasted, "You honestly thought I'd let you use the transporter? Ridiculous! I will use it to capture all the Princes in the land of Aaa! And NO ONE CAN STOP ME!"

It all happened very quickly after that.

Marshall turned, he leaped. He grabbed the Ice Queen and threw her against the floor. She bounced and reeled, and fell against the transporter. The machine sprung to life with a loud whirr, and behind the woman who tried to get to her feet, the fires of the lands of Flame Prince were shown in all their ferocity.

The Ice Queen stood unsteadily.

She lost her footing, and fell back in to the flame lands.

The transporter flickered and turned off.

She was gone. Maybe she was melting. Was she dead?

"Marshall, help us," Jake whispered, and the vampire rushed right back to Finn's side again.

The human lay limp in Jake's arms, his eyes half-closed, hooding over those blue pools that Marshall had grown so accustomed to.

With a breath of relief he could see the slight rise and fall of the human's chest, but it grew weaker and weaker with every passing second.

"What are we gonna do?" Jake asked, cradling his dying brother to his chest.

Marshall bit his lip, then said, "Let's get the icicle out. Hold him out to me,"

Jake did so, and Marshall gripped the sharp end with his hand, and pushed it back down through the flesh until it came out and clattered on to the floor. Finn let out a shaky gasp, his eyes fluttered open for a second, but the hope was dashed when his head lolled and he went limp again.

"Marshall," Jake begged, his eyes wide and brimming with tears, "you're a god damn vampire! You must have some kind of spell! Do something!"

"I'm trying to think of one!" Marshall barked, "Give me a minute."

"We don't have a minute! Do it now!"

Marshall looked at Finn, watched as the blood drained from his chest and the blood began to reach the vampire's knees. Then he thought of something drastic, but what just might work. He reached out and grabbed Jake's wrist.

"Hey! What are you—OUCH!"

Marshall bit down hard on Jake's fleshy tissue, sucking out enough blood to fill his mouth. He made a distasteful face and let go of Jake's wrist. The dog whined and glared at the bite mark, "What the hell, Marshall!? All you can still think about is blood?!"

Marshall shook his head, and spat the blood out in to his hand. At first it ran down his wrist, dripped on to the floor, but then he blood started to run back up unnaturally, until it gathered into the palm of his hand. Then, the mouthful of blood began to float in a perfect ball. Marshall inhaled and bit his own wrist, drawing out blood and repeating the strange phenomenon until he held a ball of blood in both hands. The red liquid ran thickly down Marshall's wrist, but he paid no attention.

"Hold him out again," Marshall ordered, "Good, now, repeat this spell after me."

The hands of the vampire began to glow; an unnatural, blue light. They surrounded the blood. Marshall began to look faint with the blood loss of his wrist, but he ignored it. He held the glowing balls over Finn, one above the hole in his chest and one below it. Then they both began to chant, though it took Jake a while to catch up with the Latin.

"_Sanguine__lamia__et sanguinis__canis__  
__Ab__imminente morte__sanandum_

_Sanguine__lamia__et sanguinis__canis__  
__Ab__imminente morte__sanandum_

_Sanguine__lamia__et sanguinis__canis__  
__Ab__imminente morte__sanandum__."_

As the spell was chanted, Marshall's blue magic grew in intensity. Finally, as they reached the full light capacity they were capable of, Marshall's hands moved closer and closer to Finn's flesh until the blood orbs reached the inside of his body. They picked up the pace of the spell and the blue light was absorbed by the body.

The hole straight through the boys chest cavity closed over, blood ceasing to flow out and on to the icy floor. The light faded away and the vampire dropped his hands. The chanting ended and was met with silence.

Finn didn't move.

Jake set him on the floor as Marshall pressed a pointed ear to his chest, desperately checking for a pulse.

"Marshall?" Jake whispered, beginning to shake all over, "Is he ok? He's ok, right?"

Marshall could hear no heartbeat and panic rose in his chest, "I, I don't think we did it in time."

"Get outta my way!" Jake screamed, and rushed over to Finn and violently shook his shoulders, "Finn, you moron! Wake up! Wake up! We came this far!"

Marshall's face twisted and he put his face in his hands, hunching over his knees, and he began to cry. So damn hard.

Then, Finn's chest suddenly rose with a loud gasp and his eyes stretched open as round as the full moon. Marshall screamed in relief and Jake hugged the confused boy to his chest.

"Finn, you're alright! You're alright!" Marshall wailed merrily, wiping his eyes of tears.

"Jake, you're crushing me!" the human wheezed, and Jake let him go resentfully, "What happened?"

"You nearly died, Finn," Jake said, his mouth in a permanent smile, "But Marshall saved you. He saved you life Finn!" Jake looked at Marshall, his expression towards him warm and grateful, "Thank you, Marshall. Thank you so much."

Marshall was really beginning to feel light headed now, but the blood was clotting around the wound. Vampires heal quickly, unlike humans it seems...

Then he was met with a hug of such force that it knocked him to the floor. And many kisses (not that he complained).

**~X~X~X~**

"So, this is it, huh?" Marshall said quietly, "I guess it's what we came here for, I suppose..."

The portal was open, set to the right coordinates which Jake had been given to by PB. Once they stepped through there, there was no going back to Aaa. PB had cautioned the dog that it could rip a hole in time and space itself. This was there only chance.

Finn looked at Marshall desperately, "Come with us, Marshall."  
The Vampire King shook his head sadly, "No, I can't. I belong here,"  
Finn grabbed his hand, "You belong with _me_."

"But I rule this land," Marshall said wistfully, "I rule the lands of the Grey Forests, surrounding the Fluffy kingdom. The fluffy people may fear me, but they need me. I kill the brutal monsters in the forests. If I don't kill them, they get in to the Kingdom and people are massacred,"

Finn hung his head, trying to think of something to convince the vampire to go with them, "But... Marshall. We've come all this way. You can't just... you can protect the forests of Ooo, can't you?"

He smiled sadly, "Finn, a long time ago, I murdered five hundred Fluffy people whilst they slept. Ever since, I've been trying to make up for it. I have a debt to pay here,"

"You saw how they treated you in the Crooked Cane! You'll never be forgiven, ever! In Ooo, you can have a fresh start. A new life. Wouldn't you like that, Marshall?"

Marshall gave him a little smile, and brought the human in to a tight hug. In a time which seemed so long ago, Finn would never have let Marshall touch him, let along have his head so close to his neck. But now, he never wanted to let go. He never wanted to leave him.

"Then, I'll stay with you," Finn said in to his shoulder.

"You have a life, back in Ooo, with your people. You have people to protect, as do I. It's what we were made for."

Finn sniffed pitifully, "I'm going to miss you."

Marshall gave him a kiss on the cheek, "I'll miss you too," he drew away from Finn, running the palm of his hand under his eye, "Now, you better go. They won't wait forever for you over there,"

Finn looked in to the portal, then back up at Marshall, "Good bye, Marshall."

"Bye, Finn,"

Finn took a deep breath, turned his back and walked straight in to the portal. He appeared in PB's laboratory, where the Princess was waiting. Jake followed close behind.

"Finn! Jake! You made it through safely." Bubblegum cried, and just as she rushed over to hug them both, she noticed the expression on Finn's face, "...Finn? Are you ok?"

Finn wiped his eyes, turning shamefully away from PB, "No, n-no, I'm not. I just ... I have to be alone. Excuse me,"

He made right for the door, as if Jake and PB weren't there. His heart throbbed painfully in his chest, and tears glistened down the sides of his face, like little miniature waterfalls.

"Finn."

...

Could it be?

Slowly, Finn turned, and there, right in front of the portal, stood Marshall.

"MARSHALL!"

He jumped in to the vampire's arms, hugging him so tightly that it nearly squeezed the vampire to death, "Marshall! Why, I thought you wanted to protect your people,"

"You were right, Finn," Marshall said, "I can never repay them. I've wasted too much of my immortality trying to make up for them. I was never happy. I could never be content protecting them."

"Oh, Marshall."

"But now, I have happiness," Marshall smiled, tears welling up in his ancient, russet eyes, "now, I have you."

* * *

**I wish I could thank all who told me their thoughts and gave me encouragement by name, but there's too many. I want to thank each and every one of you who have either reviewed or who are just reading this story for the first time today. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I can only hope this ending pleased you, never before have I been so satisfied with a fan fiction! Spread this story to your friends, either on FF or even Facebook. Ha, imagine if I got fanart? Now, THAT would be a dream come true...**

**I love each and every one of you!**

**Invader Skrabb, signing off.**

**Xxxx**


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